Economic rationality, the affordability of private long-term care insurance, and the role for public policy.

This study uses data from the 1984 panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) of the U.S. Bureau of the Census to develop new estimates of the potential market for private long-term care insurance. It found that this market is potentially significant--especially among individuals in the 65-69 age group who are willing to spend up to 50% of their discretionary income on such insurance--but considerably lower than previous estimates, such as those of Cohen and colleagues (1987).