November 29th, 2013 By Margie Barrie Q. The policies I’m selling contain a care coordinator benefit. How can I explain the value of that benefit to clients? A. Having hired a care coordinator for my mother, I am a big advocate of that benefit. When I tell my mother’s story to clients, they really understand how valuable a... Read more &... Read more…
November 25th, 2013 By: Elizabeth Shell Nearly 9 in 10 Americans who need some form of long-term care (LTC) get that assistance from family members or friends who volunteer their time. More than a third of these ‘informal’ caregivers are taking care of an aging parent, and assist with tasks like getting in and out of... Read more »... Read more…
November 21st, 2013 Kelly Phillips Erb, Contributor A few years ago, my dad had a health scare. As we sat in the waiting room at Duke University, waiting to hear from his surgical team, my older brother and I had the kind of conversation that more and more kids are our are having these days:What... Read more…
November 19th, 2013 Tim Mullaney, Staff Writer The United States is likely to favor an approach to long-term care financing reform that values self-reliance but includes some form of social safety net, according to a new report from a panel of experts. The Finance Review Task Force was convened by LeadingAge, one of the nation’s... Read more…
November 13th, 2013 By Allison Bell Insurance groups, insurance companies and insurance producers are trying to tap Americans on the shoulder this month and remind them that long-term care (LTC) planning is much more of a mess than acute health care planning. Despite the controversy over the problems with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act... Read more…
November 9th, 2013 Let the blame game begin over ObamaCare’s oversights. The nation’s largest health insurer, UnitedHealthcare, claims the Affordable Care Act is responsible for forcing it to boot doctors from its Medicare Advantage program that serves thousands of elderly patients in the New York metro region. CEO Jack Larsen, under fire for separating seniors... Read more…
November 4th, 2013 By Kimberly Lankford Most major long-term-care insurers have raised rates for policyholders in the past few years — sometimes by as much as 90% — primarily for policies sold more than five years ago. Genworth is asking state regulators for permission to raise rates for some policies sold from 2001 to 2012. Click... Read more…
November 4th, 2013 It’s not inflation or even market performance that presents the biggest risk to your retirement plan. It’s unexpected medical expenses. Indeed, health-care costs are often overlooked—or underestimated—by pre-retirees who are putting money away. “As we age and live longer, our health deteriorates pretty heavily in the last five to seven years of life, and... Read more…
November 1st, 2013 ExpertClick November 1, 2013. The American Association for Long Term Care Insurance announced today release of increased deductibility levels for long-term care insurance policies purchased in 2014. “For taxable years beginning in 2014, the limitations have been increased again,” explains Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long Term Care Insurance(AALTCI),... Read more…
October 31st, 2013 By AARP When it comes to planning for long-term care, the early bird does get the worm, according to a new study : The report shows that families who anticipate their needs can save close to $11,000 a year in out of pocket expenses by planning in advance instead of waiting until a crisis. What’s more,... Read more…