“Reverse Mortgages Seen By Advisors As Option Of Last Resort,” by George Yacik, Financial Advisor “Another area where several financial advisors believe reverse mortgages can play a role is in financing in-home health care or long-term care insurance.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Effective January 1, 2019, Medicaid’s home equity exemption rises to between $585,000 and $878,000 depending on the state. When that incentive to ignore long-term care planning goes away as it inevitably will, reverse mortgages for LTC financing and insurance will become a first, not a last resort.  
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“Senior Living vs. Home Care: Consumer Preferences May Be Changing,” by Tim Regan, Senior Housing News “Home care is often seen as senior housing’s biggest competitor, as surveys routinely find a strong preference among older adults to age in place. But the tide might be slowly turning, with assisted living and continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) becoming more attractive options. … The results showed that equal proportions (roughly 3 in 10) of older adults saw assisted living or continuing care retirement communities (CCRC)s, care at own home with family help, and care at home with paid help as the best
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“Growth in Medicare Advantage Spending Far Outpaces Traditional Medicare,” by Alex Spanko, Skilled Nursing News “The growth in overall spending on nursing homes in the United States slowed for the second consecutive year in 2017, according to the latest analysis from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) — while Medicare Advantage spending skyrocketed. All payers spent $166.3 billion at nursing care facilities and continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) last year, up from $163.0 billion in 2016. That works out to spending growth of 2.0%, down from last year’s gain of 3.1%. … The rise of Medicare Advantage has
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“U.S. healthcare spending growth slows for second year in a row,” Reuters “Healthcare spending growth in the United States slowed for the second year in a row in 2017, mainly due to slower spending growth for hospital care, physician and clinical services as well as retail prescription drugs, according to a report from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): National health expenditure data for 2017 covering nursing facilities and home health care were just released. We’ll publish our annual LTC Bullet “So What if the Government
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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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“Boomers Create a Surge in Luxury Care Communities,” by Scott James, New York Times “Now, as the baby boom generation is about to enter its most senior years, billions of dollars are being invested in a building surge for high-end housing. The investments will test limits of consumer spending in an industry where regulations are inconsistent or lacking, and contracts are criticized for being confusing and complex. … The potential market is huge. By some industry estimates, 20 percent of baby boomers, or about 15 million people, have saved enough to afford private continuing care, with many expected to demand
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