Long-term care contracts are written around the care that exists today. But a 60-year-old buying coverage now may not go on claim until 2050 or later, when care could include things that don't exist yet: advanced remote monitoring, AI-assisted home care, robotics, or new home and community-based care models.
So the question I care about is whether a policy's contract language is broad enough to cover future technologies and new ways of delivering care.
The provision to look for usually goes by a name like “Alternative Plan of Care,” “Alternate Plan of Care,” “Alternative Care” or “Emerging/Alternative Services.” The strongest versions let the insurer, the insured and/or a care coordinator agree on new or alternative services that meet the insured's care needs, even though those services weren't contemplated when the policy was written.
Policies should be compared on their actual contract wording, not their marketing brochures. With that in mind, here's how I rank six policies for “future-proofing” care delivery.
My ranking for “future-proofing” care delivery
- 1
Nationwide CareMatters II
100% cash indemnity; Nationwide specifically says it was designed for services “that exist today as well as those that will be developed in the future.”
- 2
Securian SecureCare III
100% cash indemnity; once eligible, essentially no restriction on how the benefit money is spent.
- 3
Lincoln MoneyGuard Fixed Advantage
Actual provision for Alternative Care Services, plus equipment/home modifications and other noncontinual services.
- 4
OneAmerica Asset Care
Strong flexibility, and OneAmerica is explicitly focused on technology and future care, but the underlying reimbursement structure makes it less inherently future-proof than unrestricted cash indemnity.
- 5
Global Atlantic ForeCare
Reimbursement design means definitions of qualified services and providers become more important.
- 6
EquiTrust Bridge
Same issue: I'd want the exact current policy form before claiming that unknown future technologies are contractually covered.
1. Nationwide CareMatters II
Nationwide is the standout. It describes CareMatters II as created to cover LTC services that exist today “as well as those that will be developed in the future.”
The mechanics back that up. Once the insured qualifies for LTC benefits, CareMatters II pays cash indemnity. Bills and receipts aren't required for ongoing benefit payments, and Nationwide's California FAQ says there are no limits on how the monthly LTC benefit can be spent. In Nationwide's words:
“We don’t place restrictions on how the benefits are spent.”
It also specifically allows informal care, including family and friends when appropriate under the plan of care.
- AI health monitoring
- robotic assistance
- smart-home technology
- autonomous transportation
- remote nursing
- new dementia technologies
- family caregiving
- care models we haven't invented yet
With CareMatters, the question isn't whether a 2026 contract defines a particular robot as a covered LTC service. Once the insured has met the policy's eligibility requirements, the benefit is cash. That's genuine future-proofing, and it's why I give Nationwide an A+.
2. Securian SecureCare III
Securian Financial takes essentially the same approach, and is arguably just as strong. SecureCare III is cash indemnity. Securian's professional guide says there are no restrictions on use of benefits, so clients don't have to wonder whether a particular expense is covered. Its consumer material is unusually direct:
“…monthly cash benefit is yours to use however you want.” “No fine print, no restrictions.”
You could make a legitimate argument that Nationwide and Securian are tied for first. Nationwide gets my slight edge because it explicitly connects its design to future LTC services that haven't been developed yet.
3. Lincoln MoneyGuard Fixed Advantage
Lincoln Financial deserves more credit here than I first expected. Current MoneyGuard Fixed Advantage materials list “alternative care services” as covered services: alternatives to otherwise-covered services, when prescribed in the plan of care by a licensed health care practitioner.
Lincoln also covers one-time or noncontinual services such as:
- durable medical equipment
- modifications to the residence
- alternative care services
Older Lincoln contract filings make the concept even clearer. They describe an Alternative Plan of Care providing medical and nonmedical benefits not specifically described in the policy, when agreed upon by the insured, a licensed health care practitioner and the company.
The weakness compared with Nationwide and Securian is that the insurer is involved in deciding whether an alternative service qualifies.
4. OneAmerica Asset Care
OneAmerica clearly understands the issue. Its own LTC market research names three major future trends: flexibility, simplicity and technology. Its 2026 material talks specifically about “care-at-home technology” and an increasingly interconnected care ecosystem. Asset Care also emphasizes the ability to move among caregiving arrangements as needs change: family or friend care at home, independent providers, home-health agencies and more managed care.
But there's an important contractual distinction. Asset Care is fundamentally a reimbursement design, whereas CareMatters II and SecureCare III are cash indemnity. Flexibility within a reimbursement contract isn't the same thing as unrestricted cash. If care technology changes radically, a reimbursement contract can raise questions like these:
- Is this a covered service?
- Is this person or provider qualified?
- Does this equipment qualify?
- Is the expense reimbursable?
- Does it fit the plan of care?
So I wouldn't tell a client that OneAmerica will automatically pay for whatever LTC technology exists in 2045. That's stronger than the contract evidence supports.
OneAmerica does have a major advantage Nationwide doesn't necessarily solve: lifetime LTC benefits can be available. For a long dementia claim, that matters enormously. One California note: OneAmerica says cash indemnity on its Acceleration of Benefits is not available in California.
5 and 6. Global Atlantic ForeCare and EquiTrust Bridge
Global Atlantic ForeCare is a reimbursement design too, so its definitions of qualified services and providers matter more.
EquiTrust Bridge is an excellent product for a different reason: guaranteed LTC coverage, simplified or optional underwriting, a Benefit Base that grows 3% annually for up to 20 years or claim, and LTC benefits payable for 60 months.
But I haven't found language from EquiTrust comparable to Nationwide's explicit statement about future services. So I wouldn't say Bridge contractually guarantees payment for whatever new technology exists in 2050. The policy provides LTC coverage according to its contractual definitions at the time it's issued.
Two ways a policy can handle the unknown
Cash indemnity. Nationwide and Securian effectively give the insured the money once the claim requirements are met. That minimizes the problem of future care definitions.
Alternative plan of care. Lincoln and some reimbursement contracts can cover services not listed in the original policy, but typically need some combination of a plan of care, a practitioner's recommendation and the insurer's agreement.
Cash indemnity
- 1qualify
- 2monthly cash benefit
- 3family decides how it's spent
Alternative plan of care
- 1qualify
- 2expense is incurred
- 3Is this a covered service?
- 4Is this person or provider qualified?
- 5Does this equipment qualify?
- 6Is the expense reimbursable?
- 7Does it fit the plan of care?
- 8reimbursed
Future-care comparison
| Feature | Nationwide CareMatters II | OneAmerica Asset/Annuity Care | EquiTrust Bridge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benefit approach | Cash indemnity | Primarily reimbursement | LTC rider benefits |
| Must prove actual monthly expenses? | No | Generally yes | More dependent on qualifying care/services |
| Family/friend care | Very flexible | Available subject to policy requirements | Contract definitions matter |
| New technology | Very strong | Potentially covered if qualifying care | Contract definitions matter |
| Robot/AI care | Money can be used for it once benefit eligibility is established | Depends upon whether expense qualifies | Depends upon contract |
| Unknown 2050 care model | Excellent protection | Good, but definitions matter | Less certain |
| My future-proof grade | A+ | B+/A- | B |
Nationwide CareMatters II
OneAmerica Asset/Annuity Care
EquiTrust Bridge
The 2050 test
Most LTC comparisons focus on premium, monthly benefit, benefit pool, inflation and death benefit. I'd add one more question. Instead of asking only “How much LTC benefit does this policy provide?”, ask:
“How much control will your family have over how that money is used 25 years from now?”
That produces a useful comparison:
Nationwide
maximum flexibility in how future care dollars are spent.
OneAmerica
maximum protection against how long the care event might last.
EquiTrust
exceptional accessibility to LTC coverage, especially for older clients or clients who might struggle with traditional underwriting.
So Nationwide doesn't automatically win. For buyers aged 70 to 80, Bridge's underwriting accessibility can outweigh the future-technology issue, while OneAmerica's lifetime benefit can outweigh it for someone particularly concerned about a very long dementia claim.
But on the specific question of care that hasn't been invented yet, I'd put Nationwide CareMatters II and Securian SecureCare III in a special category above conventional reimbursement contracts.