Maryland Inclement Weather Relief Guidelines – Update

On May 27, 2018, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan issued Executive Order 01.01.2018.14 declaring a State of Emergency due to severe storms and flooding that occurred. Because of this weather event, daily life for many Maryland consumers has been disrupted. As a result of the Governor’s issued Executive Order, the Maryland Insurance Administration issued Bulletin 18-09 on May 29, 2018. To avoid cancellations of life and health insurance, the Maryland Insurance Administration encourages insurers to provide reasonable accommodations, including a grace period for premium payment, to policyholders that reside in and businesses located in the following zip codes: 21041; 21042; 21043,
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Categories: Industry News.

Maryland Inclement Weather Information

The Governor of Maryland declared a state of emergency in two Maryland Counties: Frederick and Washington, because of severe storms and rains that occurred during the week of May 23, 2018. The Insurance Commissioner issued the subject Bulletin requiring compliance from all insurance carriers. Pursuant to our Policyholder Disaster Response Plan, we have extended the grace period for policies in the affected area to sixty (60) days for policyholders in the two counties impacted by this disaster, with no lapsing of policies with a due date of May 13, 2018, through May 19, 2018. To comply with this requirement the
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Categories: Gerber Life, Industry News, and Life Insurance.

Introducing A Brand-New Medicare Supplement With Lumico

    For producer use only. Not for use with the general public. Read Full Announcement Questions? Call our Marketing Team at 800-842-7799! Don’t forget to subscribe to our News Digest for all the latest announcements from the Top Carriers! Check out GoldenCare News If you have questions or need additional information, please call us at 1-800-842-7799. #goldencare #goldencareagent #lumico
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Categories: GoldenCare News and Industry News.

“New Study Links MA Plans to Lower Levels of Hospital Visits”

“New Study Links MA Plans to Lower Levels of Hospital Visits,” by Patrick Connole, Provider “At a time a growing number of long term and post-acute care providers are either entering or considering entering the Medicare Advantage (MA) market on the risk side, a new report by consultants Avalere Health said their research shows MA beneficiaries spent less time seeking hospital care for certain conditions. The report said MA plan holders with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes experienced significantly fewer inpatient stays and emergency room visits relative to those in traditional fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President,
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Categories: Clippings, Industry News, and Long-Term Care.

“The ‘Big Bang’ of Alzheimer’s: Scientists ID genesis of disease”

“The ‘Big Bang’ of Alzheimer’s: Scientists ID genesis of disease,” ScienceDaily “Scientists have discovered a ‘Big Bang’ of Alzheimer’s disease — the precise point at which a healthy protein becomes toxic but has not yet formed deadly tangles in the brain. A study from UT Southwestern’s O’Donnell Brain Institute provides novel insight into the shape-shifting nature of a tau molecule just before it begins sticking to itself to form larger aggregates. The revelation offers a new strategy to detect the devastating disease before it takes hold and has spawned an effort to develop treatments that stabilize tau proteins before they
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Categories: Clippings, Industry News, and Long-Term Care.

“With little saved, employers and aging employees share same fear: Can retirement happen?”)

“With little saved, employers and aging employees share same fear: Can retirement happen?,” by Yasemin Sim Esmen, Employee Benefit Adviser “Less than two-thirds of workers are confident that they will retire at age 65, and nearly a third of those surveyed plan to continue working in retirement, according to a Transamerica Center for Retirement survey. Sixty-two percent of baby boomers, the group closest to retirement, believe they can comfortably retire. Confidence is lowest among Generation X, who have been hit during the Great Recession and are starting to turn 50, which leaves them a limited amount of time to save.
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Categories: Clippings, Industry News, and Long-Term Care.

Good News | E-Apps Make Submitting LTCi Business Easier Than Ever

  National Guardian Life Launches Their LTC E-App National Guardian Life (NGL) is pleased to announce the availability of the EssentialLTC E-APP process, in most states where the EssentialLTC product is available. Launched July 2, 2018, the E-APP can be accessed via the “New Business” tab in the Agent Resource Center (www.ngl-essentialltc.com,  log-in required). We’re happy to share that, with NGL’s announcement, now all of our traditional LTCi carriers offer electronic application options. EssentialLTC E-App Launches 7/2/18 Questions? Call our Marketing Team at 800-842-7799! Not selling NGL yet? Click here to add carriers & products to your appointments. For producer
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Categories: GoldenCare News, Industry News, and National Guardian Life.

“The 2018 Medicare Trustees Report: Fiscal and Policy Challenges”

“The 2018 Medicare Trustees Report: Fiscal and Policy Challenges,” by Joseph Antos and Robert E. Moffit, AEI Economic Perspectives “Medicare’s financial outlook has deteriorated in the past year, according to the latest annual report by the program’s trustees. The Medicare Hospital Insurance trust fund is projected to be depleted in 2026, three years earlier than estimated in last year’s report. That understates the policy challenge. Every year, the program relies more on general revenues to cover its costs. In total, Medicare will receive $324 billion in general revenues this year. That will more than double by 2026. Prompt action is
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Categories: Clippings, Industry News, and Long-Term Care.

“The Infamous Medicaid Look Back Rule… Why Does it Matter and What Does it Mean?”

“The Infamous Medicaid Look Back Rule… Why Does it Matter and What Does it Mean?,” by Casey Sauerwine, Marshall, Parker & Weber LLC “Engaging in trust planning or gifting more than five years before applying for Medicaid can be an effective strategy to protect assets from nursing home costs.  Gifting ahead of time can reduce the amount of available assets an individual will have at the time a Medicaid application is completed.  It is important to talk about trust planning and gifting with your elder law attorney if you are considering going down one of these paths.” LTC Comment (from
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Categories: Clippings, Industry News, and Long-Term Care.

“It’s Almost Like a Ghost Town.’ Most Nursing Homes Overstated Staffing for Years”

“It’s Almost Like a Ghost Town.’ Most Nursing Homes Overstated Staffing for Years,” by Jordan Rao, New York Times “Most nursing homes had fewer nurses and caretaking staff than they had reported to the government for years, according to new federal data, bolstering the long-held suspicions of many families that staffing levels were often inadequate. The records for the first time reveal frequent and significant fluctuations in day-to-day staffing, with particularly large shortfalls on weekends. On the worst staffed days at an average facility, the new data show, on-duty personnel cared for nearly twice as many residents as they did
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Categories: Clippings, Industry News, and Long-Term Care.