Important Life Underwriting Update

Throughout the pandemic, Mutual of Omaha has been continuously evaluating our underwriting and new business practices to support business continuity, deliver a high level of service and maintain our financial strength. As a result, we will be expanding the cases we will accept beginning Thursday, October 1, 2020. The following guidelines will apply to all fully-underwritten life insurance cases. This includes any newly submitted and pending in-house cases, whether formal or informal. Please note, the guidelines below are temporary. International Travel Guidelines All All fully-underwritten life insurance cases where the proposed insured plans to travel or has traveled internationally to
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Categories: COVID-19, Industry News, Life Insurance, and Mutual of Omaha (& Affiliates).

“Extreme confusion most common Covid-19 symptom in frail older adults, new research discovers”

“Extreme confusion most common Covid-19 symptom in frail older adults, new research discovers,” by Ciara O’Loughlin, Independent Quote: “Extreme confusion or ‘delirium’ is more common than any other Covid-19 symptom in frail older adults, a new study has revealed. … Out of the hospital patients they studied almost one-fifth had confusion as the only presenting feature of the disease. Data from more than 800 people over the age of 65 were analysed, which included 322 patients in hospital with Covid-19 and 535 people at home with a positive result using an app on behalf of friends and family. … Possible
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Categories: Clippings, COVID-19, and Industry News.

“Can You Pass the New York State COVID-19 Death Risk Test?”

“Can You Pass the New York State COVID-19 Death Risk Test?,” by Allison Bell,ThinkAdvisor Quote: “The New York State Office for the Aging is using the power of the online quiz to try to help people reduce their risk of dying from COVID-19. The agency has joined with the Association of Aging in New York and BellAge, a New York-based aging tech firm, to offer consumers a free, no-signup CV19 CheckUp assessment tool. The quiz includes questions about matters such as age, lifestyle and social distancing habits. The system then spits out four graphics. One graphic rates how well the
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Categories: Clippings, COVID-19, GoldenCare News, and Industry News.

“Vitamin D deficiency may nearly double coronavirus risk, study finds”

“Vitamin D deficiency may nearly double coronavirus risk, study finds,” by Kimberly Marselas, McKnight’s LTC News Quote: “Low vitamin D levels may increase risk for coronavirus, according to a new study from medical and social science researchers at the University of Chicago. … ‘Since African American and Hispanic populations in the U.S. have both high rates of vitamin D deficiency and bear a disproportionate burden of morbidity and mortality from COVID-19, they may be particularly important populations to engage in studies of whether vitamin D can reduce the incidence and burden of COVID-19,’ the researchers wrote.”     LTC Comment
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Categories: Clippings, COVID-19, and Industry News.

“Key Questions About the Impact of Coronavirus on Long-Term Care Facilities Over Time”

“Key Questions About the Impact of Coronavirus on Long-Term Care Facilities Over Time,” by Priya Chidambaram, Kaiser Family Foundation Quote: “Long-term care (LTC) facilities have experienced a disproportionate share of deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic. The most recently available data show long-term care facilities making up 8% of all coronavirus cases, but more than 40% of all COVID-19 deaths. This analysis evaluates trends of long-term care cases and deaths between April and August 2020 to evaluate where and when the pandemic has hit long-term care facilities the hardest, how the share of cases and deaths attributed to long-term care facilities has changed
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Categories: Clippings, COVID-19, and Industry News.

“COVID-19 shifts mindset of family caregivers about senior living decisions”

“COVID-19 shifts mindset of family caregivers about senior living decisions,” by Kimberly Bonvissuto, McKnight’s Senior Living Quote: “Research from Toledo, OH-based Transcend Strategy Group reveals family caregivers’ opinions about how to best care for older adults changed due to COVID-19, with facility-based care suffering a blow in consumer confidence. The research assessed the effects of the global pandemic on the impressions of a variety of care settings from 1,000 family healthcare decision makers across the country, 23% of whom indicated they have a loved one who resides in an assisted living community. Among family caregivers surveyed, 65% said COVID-19 has completely changed
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Categories: Clippings, COVID-19, and Industry News.

COVID-19 participation guidelines update

Changes to COVID-19 participation guidelines to be implemented September 16, 2020 Securian Financial continues to focus on delivering high levels of service, helping customers with their insurance needs and maintaining the company’s financial strength. Your support in delivering on this focus has provided valuable insights to best navigate the unpredictable nature of a pandemic while addressing the additional risks it presents.   We are pleased to announce the following changes to the temporary COVID-19 participation guidelines effective September 16, 2020: Maximum issue age will increase to age 75 for all life products including SecureCare Universal Life (excluding Advantage Elite Select
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Categories: COVID-19, Industry News, Life Insurance, and Securian.

“State Actions to Sustain Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports During COVID-19”

“State Actions to Sustain Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports During COVID-19,” by MaryBeth Musumeci, Rachel Dolan, and Madeline Guth, Kaiser Family Foundation Quote: “States have taken a number of Medicaid policy actions to address the impact of COVID-19 on seniors and people with disabilities, many of whom rely on long-term services and supports (LTSS) to meet daily needs and are at increased risk of adverse health outcomes if infected with coronavirus. Medicaid is the primary source of coverage for LTSS, financing over half of these services in 2018. Collectively these actions could expand access to coverage (by enhancing financial and functional eligibility criteria and
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Categories: Clippings, COVID-19, and Industry News.

“Two or more long-term health conditions linked to positive COVID-19 tests”

“Two or more long-term health conditions linked to positive COVID-19 tests,” by Alicia Lasek, McKnight’s LTC News Quote: “Multimorbidity and polypharmacy puts individuals at a higher risk of testing positive for COVID-19, a new study has found. Non-white ethnicity was also linked to testing positive. … Overall, people with multimorbidity who had the highest risk were those from socioeconomically deprived areas, of non-white ethnicity, considered severely obese, and who had reduced renal function, reported study lead Barbara Nicholl, Ph.D., from the University of Glasgow.”     LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): It is
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Categories: Clippings, COVID-19, and Industry News.

“A Novel Way to Combat Covid-19 in Nursing Homes: Strike Teams,” by Hannah Critchfield”

“A Novel Way to Combat Covid-19 in Nursing Homes: Strike Teams,” by Hannah Critchfield, New York Times Quote: “Covid strike teams apply an emergency response model traditionally used in natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires to combating outbreaks in long-term care facilities. Composed of about eight to 10 members from local emergency management departments, health departments, nonprofit organizations, private businesses — and at times, the National Guard — the teams are designed to bring more resources and personnel to a disaster scene. … Covid-19 outbreaks spread like wildfires in long-term care facilities, which house medically vulnerable residents and staff in
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Categories: Clippings, COVID-19, and Industry News.