KIRKLAND, Wash. -- People seeking long term care insurance should buy it through an independent agent. That's what most experts advise. But there's a problem. "How do you find the right agent?" says Cameron Truesdell, CEO of LTC Financial Partners, the nation's most experienced long term care insurance brokerage.

KIRKLAND, Wash. -- Why don't more Americans buy long term care insurance? Decision paralysis. This is the conclusion of a study commissioned by the AARP Public Policy Institute. People throw up their hands and do nothing when faced with complexity that confounds even the experts: myriad policy choices from dozens of carriers that use different terms and definitions; regulations that vary from state to state; and price quotes that map poorly to benefit amounts, waiting periods, deductibles, duration of benefits, possible rate hikes, and inflation protection.