If you really intend to get the cheapest long term care insurance rates, you must shop extensively.
Extensive shopping can be carried out in each of these ways...
a) A very good option is to ask those whom you know you can trust -- People who are already your friends and acquaintances.
Find out their experience with their insurance company and what they pay if it makes sense to ask them.
You can ask them to refer you to their agent if they are pleased with his/her services.
I must point out, though, that you must be careful with going with just one friend's suggestion.
It's possible they might not have shopped extensively themselves.
Get referred to a lot of agents.
Request quotes from each.
Have extensive talks with each of them and find out who will serve you best.
This could involve quite some time.
b) Use the Yellow Pages.
This option is viable for those who might not be very comfortable with doing stuff on the internet and do not have many referrals from their friends.
This option is quite exacting and demands more carefulness on your part as you can't really be sure of an agent's quality of service without a first-hand experience.
c) All states have an arm that oversees insurance there and already have great resources for all insurance buyers in the state.
You can learn a lot about policies, tips, companies licensed to sell such policies in the state and other useful information.
The more you understand what to do in this, the better the value you will get.
d) Consumer guides are also great resources for people shopping for insurance.
They will show average rates.
They also give great advice that will help you make huge savings without compromising the quality of coverage you get.
Bear in mind that the quotes you see in those guides are not absolute.
They are just guides.
Because of this, make sure you ask for quotes from as many insurers as makes sense.
This step will help you get the best price/value as you'd be given quotes for your specific situation.
e) It's also okay to contact any insurance agent you know and ask for a quote.
In doing this I still advise that you get quotes from other agents.
Obtain quotes from not less than five different insurance agents, compare their prices along with the value they bring and you'll get the most competitive price.
f) If you can get their numbers, contact insurers directly and obtain quotes.
Don't forget to obtain quotes from as many companies as possible.
You raise your chances of getting an affordable rate plus an outstanding service by doing careful comparison of quotes returned.
You can realize savings of hundreds of dollars on your long term care insurance policy by requesting for quotes from quote sites.
The best method is to visit not less than three quotes sites and making sure that you input the same (correct) details.
I recommend that you visit at least three quotes sites because it will make it less likely that you'll miss out offers not carried by the other sites.
This offers you a broader basis for doing more extensive comparisons thus increasing your chances of realizing more savings.