Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has signed into law “An Act Establishing Standards for Long-Term Care Insurance.”

Supporters of the bill, who say that it “ensures the availability of long term care insurance policies, protects long term care applicants from unfair or deceptive sales or enrollment practices, and promotes flexibility and customization according to an individual's long term care needs,” have been trying to have it enacted for more than eight years.

Among other things, the legislation prohibits certain provisions in long term care insurance policies. For example, a policy may not be cancelled on the basis of age or deterioration of mental or physical health; a long term care policy may not contain a provision containing a new preexisting condition limitation period when existing coverage is converted to a new one within the same insurance company; the policy may not provide coverage for skilled nursing care only; or provide significantly more coverage for skilled care than coverage for lower levels of care.