“Whole Life Insurance … Love It or Leave It?,” by Michael Aloi, Kiplinger Quote: “In the case of my 60-year old retiree, the policy required five more payments. We concluded his old whole life policy was not going to meet his needs going forward. Instead, we did a partial 1035 tax-free exchange of his old whole life cash value into a fully paid-up long-term care insurance policy. A 1035 exchange allows taxpayers to avoid paying income tax on the gains of whole life cash value if you exchange it for another life insurance, long-term care or annuity policy. The new
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“Mourning The Many Foibles Of Medicare And Medicaid At 55,” by Sally Pipes, Forbes   Quote: “You’d be hard pressed to find two more wasteful, fraud-ridden programs than Medicare and Medicaid. They grow less fiscally sustainable with each passing year. And they routinely deliver subpar care that, in many cases, does little to support patient health.”   LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): So, what does the LTC intelligentsia propose? Either add long-term care to Medicare or create a new, compulsory, government LTC program. Throw good money after bad? Worse than that! There is
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“Scientists get closer to blood test for Alzheimer’s disease,” by Maryilynn Marchione, Associated Press Quote: “An experimental blood test was highly accurate at distinguishing people with Alzheimer’s disease from those without it in several studies, boosting hopes that there soon may be a simple way to help diagnose this most common form of dementia. … The disease is usually diagnosed through tests of memory and thinking skills, but that’s very imprecise and usually involves a referral to a neurologist. More reliable methods such as spinal fluid tests and brain scans are invasive or expensive, so a simple blood test that
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“The COVID-19 Downturn Triggers Jump in Medicaid Enrollment,” by Phil Galewitz, Kaiser Health News Quote: “Reversing a three-year decline, the number of people covered by Medicaid nationwide rose markedly this spring as the impact of the recession caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 began to take hold. Yet, the growth in participation in the state-federal health insurance program for low-income people was less than many analysts predicted. One possible factor tempering enrollment: People with concerns about catching the coronavirus avoided seeking care and figured they didn’t need the coverage.”   LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term
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“Flu and pneumonia vaccinations linked to lower Alzheimer’s incidence,” by Alicia Lasek, McKnight’s LTC News Quote: “A single flu vaccination is tied to a 17% reduction in Alzheimer’s incidence, and more frequent flu vaccinations confer an additional 13% risk reduction, scientists at the University of Texas have found. The effect was strongest for those who got their first flu shot at a younger age (age 60 versus 70, for example).”   LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Or are people prone to Alzheimer’s maybe less likely to think about getting vaccinations?      
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“Pandemic-Driven Change: 60 Seconds with Steve Monroe,” by Steve Monroe, The Senior Care Investor Quote: “I remember in April talking to a few industry professionals (you know who you are) who thought this ‘coronavirus thing’ would be mostly history by July. So did President Trump. The problem is, hope is never a good business plan. I took the unpopular opinion back then that it was going to be a long, tough slog for the industry. I wish I had been wrong. “Because of the pandemic, there have been all sorts of news stories about what is going to happen to
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