Paying now can save you plenty in your older years. (long-term care insurance) (Health Care Month)

Long-term care insurance enjoys a steady climb in popularity

Three meals a day and lodging for $98 a night.

That may sound like a good vacation deal, but not if it's what you pay every day for the rest of your life. Which is why as long-term health care costs spiral to up to $60,000 a year, long-term care insurance is gaining popularity.

Long-term coverage first hit the market in 1985. By the end of 1992, 2.9 million policies had been sold.

"The market has really just taken off. We've seen a steady pace of growth, about 30% a year," said Susan Coronel, policy research analyst for Health Insurance Association of America.

Jacksonville-based Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida began offering long-term care insurance last year when it test-marketed policies in Hillsborough County and South Florida, said Terry Gibson, the insurer's manager of long-term care.

Blue Cross Blue Shield had projected up to 450 policies would be sold, …