The return of the long-term care services funding debate

According to an online article in Forbes on March 14, following the end of the CLASS Act last year, there has been a great deal of concern about the way that the needs for long-term care by the elderly and disabled younger adults, will be financed in the United States. Federal officials and about two dozen states have now taken a fresh step to rectify this problem, working with insurance company executives, advocates, and researchers in a meeting that lasted almost six hours for an idea exchange. The group was…

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Employees may qualify for long-term care more easily through employers

LTC Financial Partners LLC. – one of the leading long-term care insurance companies in the United States – has released a statement to Americans in the hopes of assisting them to more easily obtain long-term care insurance and at a better rate simply by asking their employers about it. According to the senior vice president of business development for the insurer, Dan Cahn, by asking their employers about this coverage “could save you time, paperwork, and money — even if your workplace has no group LTC benefit in force.” The…

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John Hancock announces re-entry into individual long-term care insurance in California

John Hancock has announced that it will be resuming its place as a part of the California individual long-term care insurance marketplace, starting on February 27, 2012, through both its Custom Care III (non-Partnership) and its new California Partnership policy. These two policies will provide comprehensive long-term care coverage for all circumstances, such as assisted living facilities, nursing homes, adult day-care centers, and at home, and will also provide the policyholder with care planning and care giving support. The president of John Hancock long-term care insurance, Marianne Harrison, expressed the…

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At what age should consumers purchase long-term care insurance?

Among individuals younger than the age of 50, it is quite common to believe that long-term care insurance is something that they won’t really need until later on in their lives. According to CFP Rich Arzaga, CEO and founder of San Ramon, California-based Cornerstone Wealth Management, the majority of consumers won’t start to inquire about long-term care insurance until about the age of 45. In fact, “it won’t be on their radar”. He said that once they reach the age of 55 or 60, they will begin to talk about…

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Government Study Examines Long-Term Care Insurance Rate Increases – Only 1.6% Drop Coverage; 23% Actually Pay Less

PRESS RELEASE: A report released on August 16th by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) examines the impact of rate increases on long-term care insurance policyholders. Specifically, the report examines the Federal Long-Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP), the largest private long-term care insurance program in the nation. “As a voluntary plan consisting of typical employees, this is a most representative group,” states Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (www.aaltci.org), one of those interviewed by GAO staff preparing the study. “Instead of hyperbole, we now…

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