In 2004, John Hancock was acquired by Manulife Financial Corporation, a global insurance and financial services group based in Canada. The merger positioned John Hancock as Manulife’s U.S. division, expanding its product offerings and international footprint.

Financial Status and Ratings

As of 2025, John Hancock remains a financially strong and stable company, supported by the global strength of Manulife. It continues to maintain solid credit and financial strength ratings from major rating agencies:

• A+ (Superior) from A.M. Best
• AA (Very Strong) from Fitch Ratings
• A1 (High Quality) from Moody’s
• AA- (Very Strong) from S&P Global

These ratings reflect John Hancock’s consistent capital strength, conservative investment strategy, and long-term claim-paying ability.

Key Products

John Hancock offers a broad range of insurance and financial services, focusing on both individual and business clients. Major product lines include:

Life Insurance – Includes term, universal, indexed, and variable universal life policies, plus final expense coverage.

Long-Term Care Insurance – Offers hybrid long-term care products and life insurance with LTC riders. While they no longer sell individual Long-Term Care Insurance, they hold one of the largest blocks of individual Long-Term Care Insurance policies in the United States, including the The Federal Long-Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP). If you own a Long-Term Care Insurance policy from John Hancock, remember LTC Insurance is guaranteed renewable, so once issued, it cannot be canceled by the insurance company as long as the premium continues to be paid.

Annuities – Fixed, indexed, and variable annuities for retirement income and legacy planning.

Retirement & Investment Solutions – 401(k) plans, mutual funds, and managed accounts.

Vitality Program – Rewards policyholders for healthy behaviors with discounts, perks, and premium savings.

Long-Term Care Insurance with John Hancock

The company offers life insurance policies with a long-term care rider that allows access to the death benefit for qualifying long-term care needs. Generally, this is not the best long-term care solution as the death benefit usually is not large enough to be meaningful, and there is no inflation benefit.

However, a new hybrid is now available and in the process of being approved nationwide.

John Hancock LifeCare: A Hybrid Life and Long-Term Care Insurance Solution

John Hancock's LifeCare is an innovative hybrid insurance product that combines indexed universal life (IUL) insurance with qualified long-term care benefits. Designed to provide both death benefit protection and long-term care coverage, LifeCare offers flexibility, growth potential, and streamlined underwriting to meet the evolving needs of policyholders.

Key Features

• Product Type: Hybrid Indexed Universal Life (IUL) with Long-Term Care benefits.
• Issue Ages: 30 to 75
• Death Benefit: Minimum of $50,000; maximum of $500,000.
• Premium Payment Options: Single-pay, 5-pay, 10-pay, and 15-pay structures available. Premiums can never go up.
• Risk Classes: Preferred Non-Smoker, Standard Non-Smoker, Select Non-Smoker, and Standard Smoker.
• LTC Benefit Periods: The long-term care benefit periods create a pool of money that could extend beyond the stated period, depending on utilization, but would never last less than the benefit period itself.
• 2-year: 24 months acceleration of death benefit for long-term care.
• 4-year: 24 months acceleration plus 24 months additional long-term care benefits.
• 6-year: 36 months acceleration plus 36 months additional long-term care benefits.
• Elimination Period: One-time 90-day calendar period, beginning upon written certification of chronic illness.
• Comprehensive Benefits: The policy will cover all types and levels of long-term care services, including in-home care, adult day care, assisted living, memory care, and nursing homes.
• Indexed Benefit Increases: Your benefits can increase with market performance without actually being in the market (details below).
• 5% Compound Inflation Rider: Optional rider to increase benefits by 5 percent if policyholder wishes guaranteed growth.
• Cash Indemnity Option: Policyholders can receive a set monthly amount up to the IRS per diem long-term care limit without the need to submit receipts, all tax-free.
• ReimbursementOption: The policyholder can submit qualified long-term care expenses based on actual bills received for services up to the maximum monthly benefit amount, all tax-free.
• Direct Provider Payments: To make the claim process easier, John Hancock can pay care providers directly upon receipt of invoices, simplifying the payment process.
• International Benefits: 100% of the total long-term care benefit is available for long-term care services outside the U.S. on an indemnity basis.
• Helper Bees Provider Network: This voluntary program helps make finding local home health care agencies or long-term care facilities easier for your specific care needs. Negotiated discounts may be available for caregivers and other providers.

How John Hancock’s LifeCare Policy Long-Term Care Benefits Grow

John Hancock’s LifeCare has a unique way for your long-term care benefits to grow over time, giving you more protection when care gets expensive.

💡 Two Ways Your Long-Term Care Benefits Can Grow

1. Based on Market Performance (LifeCare LTC Rider)

You have the option to let your policy’s value grow by tracking the performance of financial indexes—kind of like the stock market.

You can choose from:

• Select Capped Index Account
• High Capped Index Account
• Barclays Global MA Index
• A fixed, more stable growth option
• A combination of the above

With LifeCare, your money isn’t actually invested in the stock market. Instead, it uses the performance of major financial indexes—to calculate how your policy’s value can grow, similar to how indexed annuities work.

This means your long-term care benefits can increase when the market performs well, but your money is not directly at risk if the market drops. It’s a way to enjoy potential growth without the volatility of true stock investments, offering both opportunity and protection.

Each year, if the value goes up enough, both your life insurance and long-term care benefit amounts can go up too. This is called the Annual Benefit Lock—it locks in gains so they can’t go down later.

You can never lose money.

2. Automatic 5% Annual Increases (LifeCare 5% Compound Inflation Rider)

If you’d rather skip the index and want guaranteed growth, you can choose this rider instead. It automatically increases your long-term care benefit by 5% each year, no matter what the market does.

• This rider is only available with a 6-year benefit period.
• It costs more, and the starting benefit is a bit lower—but it provides predictable, inflation-protected growth.

Vitality PLUS Integration

LifeCare integrates with John Hancock's Vitality PLUS program, encouraging healthy living by offering rewards and potential increases in death benefits and long-term care benefits based on healthy lifestyle choices.

Filing a Claim with John Hancock

If you currently have a policy with John Hancock, LTC News can help. Filing a claim alone or directly through the insurer's website can feel scary, let alone trying to find care while figuring out how to get your insurance benefits. 

To help with this, LTC News has partnered with Amada Senior Care, offering free, no-obligation assistance with claims, including help finding quality caregivers and facilities, no matter what level of care is required. 

Amada Senior Care is a leader in-home healthcare agency with locations and connections nationwide. They can help you process a claim from any LTC Insurance policy, find high-quality care, and, in some cases, may be able to offer discounted services. 

Federal Regulations

All Long-Term Care Insurance policies in the U.S. are regulated under IRS regulation Section 7702(b). All LTC Insurance policies must meet stringent requirements, which help ensure:

• Regulated benefit triggers.
• Tax advantages.
• Protection against excessive premium increase.
• Clear coverage expectations.

John Hancock's LifeCare Hybrid Long-Term Care Insurance policy meets federal guidelines. 

Partnership 

Since John Hancock's 'LifeCare' is a hybrid policy and not a traditional long-term care policy, it will not qualify as a partnership policy under state and federal law.

You can learn more about the federal/state partnership program: What is a Long-Term Care Partnership Policy?

Find State-Specific Information

Each state has a state-specific page that includes the current and future cost of long-term care services, available tax incentives, information on care providers, and other important information - LTC News Cost of Care Calculator.

Underwriting

Long-Term Care Insurance is medically underwritten, and every company has its own underwriting rules that determine insurability and rate class. An experienced Long-Term Care Insurance specialist will understand these underwriting rules when helping you select the best company and policy options.

What is Underwriting? How Does Current Health Impact Ability to Obtain Long-Term Care Insurance?

John Hancock's underwriting is considered "moderately conservative" compared to other insurance companies. However, if you have several pre-existing health issues, discuss your health in detail with an experienced Long-Term Care Insurance specialist before applying. 

It is important to note that since every company has different underwriting rules, you could be eligible for coverage with one company rather than another.

There are variations between the policy language and benefits between the many companies that offer Long-Term Care Insurance; however, the primary features and benefit choices are comparable from company to company.

Premiums and underwriting criteria vary dramatically between insurance companies. 

State variations may apply.