New Medicare Supplement Plans in Florida Effective January 21, 2017, agents may begin selling the competitively priced Medicare Supplement product in Florida, underwritten by United of Omaha Life insurance Company. In-Force-Only Rate Adjustment Please review information on upcoming 2010 Modernized Rate Adjustments in SD and MI. #goldencareagent
Read More
Pennsylvania and Oregon Notices
In the states of Pennsylvania and Oregon Mutual of Omaha policyholders will be receiving a letter stating that “Mutual of Omaha complies with applicable laws and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex, including sex stereotypes and gender identity.” The letters to Mutual of Omaha policyholders will begin the week of January 23, 2017. Effective immediately, the application packets will also be updated with the same notice. If you have any questions, please contact Mutual of Omaha’s Policyowner Services at 800-775-6000 or mycustomerservice@mutualofomaha.com. Pennsylvania and Oregon Notices #goldencaragent #MutualOfOmaha
Read More
“Hybrid Insurance Policies Gaining Steam,” by Eleanor Laise, Kiplinger
“Consumers who are skeptical of traditional long-term-care insurance are snapping up ‘hybrid’ policies combining life insurance with long-term-care benefits. But are these products really a better way to manage the risk of catastrophic long-term-care costs? … “The sales pitch is simple: By paying a single premium or series of set premiums, you avoid the risk of future premium increases—an issue that has plagued traditional long-term-care policies. And many consumers have balked at the ‘use it or lose it’ nature of traditional long-term-care policies; the hybrid’s potential death benefit removes that concern. “But those advantages aren’t as clear-cut as they sound.
Read More
“UnitedHealth to take $350 million LTCI guaranty fund charge,” by Allison Bell, LifeHealthPRO
“UnitedHealth never sold any long-term care insurance, but state guaranty funds are requiring UnitedHealth and other health insurers to pay assessments to cover the cost of protecting the policyholders of Penn Treaty Insurance Company and a sister company. Pennsylvania regulators are in the process of liquidating both companies, after concluding that the company’s reserves cannot support the LTCI coverage the companies wrote.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): The “risk pool” for insurers. UnitedHealth to take $350 million LTCI guaranty fund charge #goldencareagent
Read More
Aetna Medicare Supplement Rate Changes
Rate adjustments have been approved for individual Medicare Supplement plans in the following states: Effective March 1, 2017 Kentucky (AHLIC) Michigan (ACI) Ohio (AHLIC) Oklahoma (AHLIC) Rhode Island (CLI) South Carolina (AHLIC) Vermont (CLI), and Wyoming (ACI) Effective April 1, 2017 Arizona (ACI) For full details, click the link below: Aetna Medicare Supplement Rate Changes: AZ, KY, MI, OH, OK, RI, SC, VT, WY (Log-in required) #goldencareagent #Aetna
Read More
Aetna and Medicare Supp./Adv..
Aetna Medicare Supplement Plan D coming to Ohio
We are very excited to share that we are adding Plan D to our portfolio of Medicare Supplement products in Ohio starting February 1, 2017. To view the rates, click here. Revised sales materials will be available to order starting February 1. Important: This is NOT a “Part D Prescription Drug Plan.” #goldencareagent #Aetna
Read More
Aetna and Medicare Supp./Adv..
“Treasury economist finds women need help with LTC costs,” by Allison Bell, LifeHealthPRO
“The typical 80-year-old woman in the United States may have enough financial resources, including home equity, to pay for about 20 months of nursing home care, or 35 months of home health care. An 80-year-old woman in the top quarter in terms of income and wealth may be able to pay 58 months of nursing home care and about 103 months of home health care. Jason Brown, an economist at the U.S. Treasury Department, included those figures in a major new report on the economic security of older women in the United States.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President,
Read More
“Medicare 2017 costs at a glance,” by Medicare.gov
“Listed below are basic costs for people with Medicare. If you want to see and compare costs for specific health care plans, visit the Medicare Plan Finder. For specific cost information (like whether you’ve met your deductible, how much you’ll pay for an item or service you got, or the status of a claim), visit MyMedicare.gov.” LTC Comment: (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform) We’ll update these key Medicare numbers in The Zone this morning. There you can find the comparable numbers for each year going back to 1993. You’ll need your user name and password
Read More
Good News | Maximize Coverage for Tough-To-Underwrite Clients
New Strategy To Maximize Coverage For Tough-To-Underwrite Clients Introducing a new sales strategy to conserve more of your business! Clients turned down for traditional LTCi? Maximize Facility Benefits on GTL’s Critical Cash™ and add Kemper’s Near Guaranteed Home Health Care policy to supplement Home Care benefits. This way, you can provide as much coverage as possible, while still keeping the premiums within reason! Guarantee Trust Life Critical Cash, Plan A MALE, 55 $597.64 Annually* FEMALE, 55 $597.64 Annually* $500/month Base Benefit $5,500 Nursing Home Benefit ($2,750 Assisted Living Benefit) 24-Month Plan ($432,000 Bucket Each) View Quote Kemper Near Guaranteed
Read More
“Health plans could see up to $10 billion more from Medicare Advantage,” by Virgil Dickson, Modern Healthcare
“The CMS currently calculates MA payments based on fee-for-service Part A spending, which covers hospital care, and Part B, which covers more routine care such as doctors’ visits. Health plans that offer Medicare Advantage cover both parts. Medicare fee-for-service does not mandate participation in both parts. That means the current formula for determining rates underestimates spending, resulting in plans potentially being underpaid. To address this issue, MedPAC is recommending that the HHS secretary alter the current formula to be based only on fee-for-service spending data for beneficiaries enrolled in both Part A and Part B. Plans, not surprisingly, lauded MedPAC’s
Read More
