Thrivent Long-Term Care Insurance Review 2026: Products, Premiums, and the Faith Requirement

Thrivent is one of four traditional long-term care insurance carriers still actively writing new policies in 2026. Its A++ AM Best rating is the highest in the industry, shared only with New York Life. But Thrivent is also a Christian fraternal organization — which means there's an eligibility requirement that doesn't apply to any other LTC carrier. Here's an independent look at both its products and that requirement.

What makes Thrivent different from other LTC carriers

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans was founded in 1902 as a mutual aid society for Lutheran immigrants. In 2001, it merged with Aid Association for Lutherans and dropped the Lutheran name, opening membership to all practicing Christians. It remains a fraternal benefit society — legally distinct from a stock or mutual insurance company — with a charitable and member-service mission. Its full legal name is Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, though it operates publicly as Thrivent.

Three structural differences matter for LTC buyers:

• Faith requirement. To purchase any Thrivent product, you must sign a statement affirming that you are a Christian seeking to live out your faith, or that you are the spouse of a Christian who does. This requirement applies to every product Thrivent offers, including LTC insurance. No other active LTC carrier has a comparable eligibility requirement.
• A++ AM Best rating. Shared only with New York Life, this is the highest possible rating AM Best assigns. It reflects Thrivent's financial strength, ability to pay claims, and long-term stability. Most carriers in the LTC market carry A+ (Mutual of Omaha) or A (Transamerica, NGL) — the gap to A++ is meaningful over a 20–30-year holding period for a product you may not claim on for decades.
• Rate stability record. Thrivent has maintained one of the cleanest rate stability records among carriers that have remained active in the traditional LTC market. Unlike Genworth, John Hancock, and Transamerica — all of which closed new business after filing large inforce rate increases — Thrivent has not faced the same pattern of compounding increases on its legacy blocks.

Thrivent's two long-term care products

Thrivent traditional long-term care insurance

Thrivent's standalone traditional LTC insurance policy follows the standard §7702B structure: you pay ongoing premiums, and the policy reimburses qualifying long-term care expenses when you meet benefit triggers (inability to perform 2 of 6 activities of daily living, or certified cognitive impairment). Key parameters:

• Monthly benefit amounts: $1,500 to $15,000/month in $100 increments
• Maximum benefit period: up to 8 years (96 months)
• Care settings covered: home care, assisted living, nursing home, adult day care, hospice, care coordination
• Inflation protection: optional annual increase benefit riders (simple and compound)
• Shared care rider: available for couples — allows benefit pools to be shared or transferred between spouses
• Additional coverage: equipment and home modifications, caregiver training, respite care for informal caregivers
• Elimination period: standard industry options (typically 90 days)

The traditional policy is tax-qualified under IRC §7702B, which means premiums are eligible for the HIPAA deductibility limits and benefits are excluded from income up to the $430/day per diem limit in 2026.²

Thrivent CareForward: hybrid life + LTC

CareForward is Thrivent's hybrid life insurance policy with an integrated long-term care benefit. Structurally, it works like other hybrid products in the market (Lincoln MoneyGuard, Nationwide CareMatters, OneAmerica Asset-Care): you deposit premiums into a life insurance contract, and if long-term care is needed, the policy pays LTC benefits — typically by accelerating the death benefit and drawing from an extended benefit rider. If no LTC is needed, a death benefit passes to heirs.

CareForward-specific parameters:³

• Issue ages: 18 to 75
• Face amount: $50,000 to $500,000 (selected at purchase)
• Monthly LTC benefit: 3%, 4%, or 5% of face amount (e.g., 4% of $300,000 = $12,000/month)
• Maximum lifetime LTC benefit: 1×, 2×, or 3× the face amount — selected at purchase via benefit multiplier
• Premium structures: single-pay lump sum, 10-year pay, 20-year pay, or pay to age 95
• Premium guarantee: guaranteed level for the life of the contract (non-cancellable)
• Premium waiver: once LTC claim begins, remaining premiums are waived
• Inflation protection: optional riders available
• Residual death benefit: policy retains residual death benefit even if full LTC benefit is drawn down

The Christian faith requirement explained

Because Thrivent is a fraternal benefit society, not a traditional insurance company, its membership rules are legally different from any commercial carrier. Purchasing Thrivent insurance products requires membership in the fraternal organization, which requires affirming Christian faith affiliation.

The affirmation Thrivent requires: you must be a "Christian, seeking to live out your faith, or the spouse of a Christian who seeks to live out his or her faith." Thrivent does not specify a denomination — Lutheran, Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, non-denominational, and other Christian traditions all qualify. The statement is self-attested; Thrivent does not require a church membership certificate or clergy letter.

Practical implications for buyers:

• If you and your spouse are both Christian: straightforward eligibility.
• If one spouse is Christian and the other is not: the non-Christian spouse can still purchase coverage as the spouse of a Christian member.
• If neither spouse identifies as Christian: Thrivent products are not available, regardless of financial qualifications or health status.
• If your faith identification is unclear: speaking directly with a Thrivent financial advisor is the right step — they can clarify what the affirmation requires.

For buyers who don't meet the faith requirement, the three remaining active traditional LTC carriers are Mutual of Omaha, New York Life, and National Guardian Life (NGL). See our LTC insurance company comparison for the full landscape.

Thrivent's rate stability record

Rate stability is the primary concern for traditional LTC insurance buyers after the industry's widespread failures. Genworth approved $31.8B in cumulative NPV rate increases. John Hancock policyholders faced multiple rounds of 15–43% increases. Transamerica filed 70% rate increases in Connecticut in 2023, with additional rounds in 2025.

Thrivent's inforce rate history is materially different. The company has not faced the same pattern of compounding double-digit increases on legacy blocks, and it has continued actively writing new business — a structural advantage because new-policy premium income provides actuarial balance that closed-block carriers like Genworth cannot achieve. Thrivent is consistently cited alongside New York Life as the traditional carrier pair with the strongest rate stability records.

Important caveat: no traditional LTC carrier can contractually guarantee premiums will never rise. Rate increases require state insurance department approval, and Thrivent remains subject to the same regulatory process as every other carrier. "Better rate stability history" is meaningfully different from "guaranteed stable premiums." Buyers who require guaranteed premium certainty should evaluate hybrid life+LTC products instead — including Thrivent's own CareForward, which carries a contractual premium guarantee.

Thrivent LTC pricing: how it compares

Thrivent consistently comes in at #1 or #2 on price among the four active traditional LTC carriers for equivalent benefit designs. For buyers who qualify under the faith requirement, this pricing advantage combined with the A++ AM Best rating makes Thrivent a compelling option.

As a benchmark, AALTCI 2025 annual survey data for a $165,000 benefit pool shows representative traditional LTC premiums (these vary significantly by benefit design, state, and health class — use them as directional, not binding quotes):⁴

Actual Thrivent premiums may be at or below these benchmarks — the table represents a market average. The only way to get a Thrivent-specific quote is through a Thrivent financial advisor (Thrivent distributes exclusively through its own advisor network, not through independent LTC brokers).

Distribution: how to get a Thrivent quote

Thrivent distributes its products exclusively through Thrivent financial advisors — career advisors employed by or contracted with Thrivent. Unlike Mutual of Omaha and NGL, which are available through independent brokers, you cannot obtain a Thrivent LTC quote from an independent insurance agent who shops multiple carriers.

This has two practical implications:

• For buyers evaluating Thrivent in isolation: Contact a Thrivent financial advisor directly through Thrivent's website to receive a traditional LTC or CareForward quote.
• For buyers doing a multi-carrier comparison: A fee-only advisor who does LTC planning can coordinate a Thrivent quote through their Thrivent advisor contact, alongside quotes from Mutual of Omaha, New York Life, and NGL. This is the most efficient way to run an apples-to-apples comparison because you need identical benefit specs across all carriers to make a meaningful pricing comparison.

Who should consider Thrivent traditional LTC insurance

Thrivent's traditional LTC product is worth serious evaluation when these conditions apply:

• You meet the Christian faith requirement. This is the threshold condition. If you don't, Thrivent products are unavailable to you regardless of any other factor.
• You want maximum LTC coverage per premium dollar. Traditional LTC provides pure insurance transfer at lower cost than hybrid products; Thrivent's competitive pricing compounds this advantage.
• Financial strength over 30+ years matters to you. A++ AM Best is the highest possible rating. For a product you may not claim on for 25–30 years after purchase, carrier financial strength is a legitimate evaluation criterion.
• Your household assets are roughly $500K–$2M. Below $500K, sustainable premiums are difficult and Medicaid planning deserves attention. Above $2M (single) or $2.5M+ (couple), self-funding often makes more financial sense.
• You're between 55 and 65, in good health. AALTCI data shows decline rates of approximately 47–50% by age 70+. Earlier purchase means better insurability and meaningfully lower premiums.
• Partnership LTC asset protection matters. Thrivent's traditional policy qualifies for Partnership LTC programs in most participating states. Partnership policies provide dollar-for-dollar Medicaid asset disregard — the traditional product structure is required for this benefit; CareForward hybrids typically don't qualify.

Thrivent LTC tax advantages in 2026

Both Thrivent's traditional LTC policy (§7702B) and CareForward (when HIPAA-qualified) carry the standard tax advantages for qualified long-term care insurance:

• Benefit exclusion: LTC benefits received are excluded from income up to $430/day ($156,950/year) for 2026 — the HIPAA per diem limit.² Reimbursement policies are generally tax-free regardless of the per diem limit.
• Premium deductibility: Eligible LTC premiums are deductible as a medical expense subject to the 7.5% AGI floor. HIPAA-capped deductible amounts by age in 2026: under 41 ($500), 41–50 ($930), 51–60 ($1,860), 61–70 ($4,960), over 70 ($6,200).²
• Self-employed above-the-line: Self-employed individuals can deduct eligible LTC premiums above the line, bypassing the 7.5% AGI floor.
• C-corporation unlimited deduction: Employer-paid LTC premiums are fully deductible under IRC §162. See our business owner LTC guide.
• 1035 exchange into CareForward: Existing life insurance or non-qualified annuity cash value can be exchanged into CareForward tax-free under IRC §1035, eliminating gain on the old policy. See our 1035 exchange guide for the mechanics.

What a fee-only advisor does when comparing Thrivent to other carriers

A commissioned agent from Thrivent's advisor network earns 50–100% of first-year premiums on a policy sale. An independent broker who places primarily with Mutual of Omaha or New York Life earns equivalent commission structures on those policies. Neither has an obvious incentive to recommend the carrier that's actually best for your situation.

A fee-only advisor running an LTC carrier comparison does the following:

• Identical benefit spec comparison. To compare Thrivent against Mutual of Omaha, New York Life, and NGL meaningfully, you need the same daily benefit, benefit period, inflation rider, and elimination period across all four quotes. Commissioned agents often present non-identical specs; fee-only advisors impose the spec discipline that makes the comparison real.
• Rating stability weighting for your holding period. A buyer purchasing at 55 who may not claim until 80 has a 25-year exposure window. A++ vs A+ is a meaningful difference at that holding period, and a fee-only advisor weights it accordingly rather than dismissing it.
• Self-fund crossover modeling. If your assets are near the self-fund threshold, the advisor models what a dedicated LTC reserve would look like and whether buying any traditional coverage makes sense vs. the reserve-plus-Medicaid-fallback approach.
• CareForward vs traditional vs other hybrids. If you have existing cash value, the advisor models the 1035 exchange into CareForward against exchanges into Lincoln MoneyGuard, Nationwide CareMatters, and OneAmerica Asset-Care — not just the Thrivent product in isolation.

See our LTC insurance company comparison, our how to choose LTC insurance guide, and our traditional LTC insurance overview for the full buyer framework.

1. Thrivent AM Best rating: AM Best rates Thrivent A++ (Superior) as of 2026 — the highest possible rating, shared in the traditional LTC carrier set only with New York Life. Verified via AM Best and corroborated by AALTCI carrier database and multiple carrier review sources. ambest.com · AALTCI carrier database
2. 2026 HIPAA LTC tax values: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-28 establishes the 2026 per diem exclusion at $430/day and eligible premium deductibility limits by age ($500/$930/$1,860/$4,960/$6,200 for five age brackets). IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-28
3. Thrivent CareForward product features: CareForward issue ages 18–75, face amount $50,000–$500,000, monthly LTC benefit = 3/4/5% of face amount, lifetime LTC benefit = 1×/2×/3× face amount, guaranteed level premiums, non-cancellable, premium waiver on claim. Verified against Thrivent product brochure and independent 2026 carrier reviews. Thrivent CareForward brochure · LTC Tree CareForward review
4. AALTCI 2025 benchmark premiums: Annual LTC insurance price index published by the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance. Representative premiums for $165,000 benefit pool: men $950/$1,200/$1,700 at ages 55/60/65; women $1,500/$1,900/$2,700. Market-average figures; individual carrier quotes vary. AALTCI.org
5. Thrivent faith membership requirement: Thrivent is a fraternal benefit society requiring membership affirming Christian faith to purchase products. Applicant must be a "Christian seeking to live out your faith, or the spouse of a Christian who seeks to live out his or her faith." Documented in Thrivent's product disclosure brochures and independent carrier reviews. thrivent.com · Breeze 2026 Thrivent review

Carrier ratings and product details verified as of June 2026. AM Best ratings are subject to change; verify at ambest.com before making coverage decisions. Product availability, benefit parameters, and faith eligibility rules may vary; confirm with a Thrivent advisor or fee-only financial planner.