“Medicare Players Team Up for 2020 Chronic Care Push,” by Allison Bell, ThinkAdvisor “Policymakers in Washington once tried to keep Medicare out of the chronic care and non-medical care markets, in part to give commercial insurers a chance to establish a private market for long-term care insurance (LTCI). Now, major carriers are showing less interest in offering private LTCI, and, in some cases, saying that they would prefer to participate in public-private LTC benefits hybrid programs. Earlier this year, managers of the Medicare Advantage program eased obstacles to carriers offering limited amounts of chronic care benefits through that program, by
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“Opinion: This isn’t your grandpa’s Social Security system,” by Martin Feldstein, MarketWatch “The current structure of pension systems in most developed countries cannot be sustained without cutting benefit levels substantially or introducing much higher taxes. A shift to a mixed system that combines the stability of the pay-as-you-go benefits with the higher return of market-based investments would permit countries to avoid that choice altogether.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): More sensible advice about Social Security.  
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“In GE Probe, Ex-Staffers Say Insurance Risks Were Ignored,” by Thomas Gryta and David Benoit, Wall Street Journal (gated) “Federal investigators are questioning former employees of General Electric Co. GE 2.58% about intricate details in a legacy insurance business that led to accounting problems at the conglomerate in the past year. The insurance business failed to internally acknowledge worsening results over the years, according to several former GE employees who said they have been interviewed by government lawyers. They described in interviews for this article examples of what they call lax managerial oversight and buried risks that ultimately kept the company from booking bigger reserves.
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“Paying for Long-Term Care: How It’s Changing,” by Amy Fontinelle, Investopedia “Insurance companies are trying to change that. ‘If I had to summarize a single technique being employed by all the major players, it’d be a convergence around smaller benefits,’ says Stephen D. Forman, CLTC, senior vice president of Long Term Care Associates, an insurance agency in Bellevue, Wash. Smaller policies are the way for insurers to reach the middle-market consumer, so insurers are offering policies with lower limits and more-flexible premium payment periods. Programs in the research and pilot stages include one that starts as a term life insurance
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“Generational Wealth Transfer to Hit $68 Trillion Over 25 Years: Cerulli,” by Marlene Satter, ThinkAdvisor “In 25 years, Generation X will replace baby boomers as the biggest wealth wielders. That’s according to a Cerulli report that predicts the transfer of a total of $68 trillion in wealth over the next quarter century by nearly 45 million households. According to the report, U.S. High-Net-Worth and Ultra-High-Net-Worth Markets 2018: Shifting Demographics of Private Wealth, boomers will account for close to 70% of those households, shifting approximately $48 trillion. … Cheses added, “Gen Xers stand to be the primary beneficiary of wealth transferred
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“What You Need to Know About Hybrid Long-Term-Care Insurance,” by Cheryl Winokur Munk, Wall Street Journal “Hybrid policies have grown more popular in recent years, attracting consumers with the promise that if policyholders don’t end up needing long-term care, their beneficiary will receive a death benefit. In addition, premiums for these policies have been more stable over time than stand-alone long-term-care policies because the buyer typically pays a single premium or a series of set premiums over time. Some policies also offer a return-of-premium option—another attractive feature.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): This
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“New Tax Deductible Limits for Long-Term Care Insurance Announced by AALTCI Director,” by Jesse Slome, PR.com “Increased tax deductible limits that can provide significant tax savings for owners of traditional long-term care insurance policies were revealed today by the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance. … According to AALTCI, premiums paid for traditional long-term care insurance are includable in the term ‘medical care.’ The following are the just announced 2019 limits: Attained Age Before Close of Taxable Year 2019 Limit 40 or less $420 More than 40 but not more than 50 $790 More than 50 but not more than
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“Long-Term Care: A Comparison of Assisted Living and Nursing Homes,” by Carol Marak, SeniorCare.com “Showdown! What’s the difference ‘tween Nursing Homes and Assisted Living? All your prospects are about to find out, thanks to this nifty, embeddable infographic.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Special thanks to Center friend Stephen D. Forman of corporate sponsor Long-Term Care Associates for tipping us to this helpful infographic.  
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“A Dozen Facts About Medicare Advantage,” by Gretchen Jacobson, Anthony Damico, and Tricia Neuman, Kaiser Family Foundation “Medicare Advantage plans have played an increasingly larger role in the Medicare program over the past decade. More than 20 million Medicare beneficiaries (34%) are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans in 2018. This collection provides updated information about Medicare Advantage enrollment trends, premiums, and out-of-pocket limits. It also includes new analyses of Medicare Advantage plans’ extra benefits, use of prior authorization, and bonus payments paid by Medicare.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Interesting facts about MA.  
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“Health, Family Take Precedence In Aging Americans’ Minds,” by Christopher Robbins, Financial Advisor “As average Americans age, their top concerns are health, family and finances, in that order, according to a recent survey. … The survey of 502 Americans aged 55 or older found that their top concerns were health problems and costs, named by 46 percent of respondents; being a burden on their family, 45 percent; and fear of running out of money, 44 percent.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Perfect reasons to obtain LTCI, but most don’t. Is the cause mass
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