CMS Has Announced The 2019 Copy/Deductibles The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced their 2019 Copay/Deductibles. Listed below are basic costs for people with Medicare. 2019 Copay/Deductibles 2018 2019 Part A Deductible $1,340 $1,364 Part B Deductible $183 $185 Part A Coinsurance Days 61 — 90 $335 $341 Days 91 — 150 (Lifetime Reserve Days*) $670 $682 Skilled Nursing Home Days 21 — 100 $167.50 $170.50 Standard Part B Monthly Premium $134 $135.50 High Deductible Plan F $2,240 $2,300 Plan K Out of Pocket $5,240 $5,560 Plan L Out
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“Evidence mounts that an eye scan may detect early Alzheimer’s disease”
“Evidence mounts that an eye scan may detect early Alzheimer’s disease,” Science Daily “Results from two studies show that a new, non-invasive imaging device can see signs of Alzheimer’s disease in a matter of seconds. The researchers show that the small blood vessels in the retina at the back of the eye are altered in patients with Alzheimer’s. Even patients who have a family history of Alzheimer’s but have no symptoms show these telltale signs. And they showed that they can distinguish between people with Alzheimer’s and those with only mild cognitive impairment. Results from these studies are being presented
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Clippings, Industry News, and Long-Term Care.
“How Much Will Boomers, Millennials Get in Retirement?”
“How Much Will Boomers, Millennials Get in Retirement?,” by Ginger Szala, ThinkAdvisor “The Urban Institute has released its most recent projections on what baby boomer retirees as well as Generation Xers and millennials will be receiving in Social Security and Medicare benefits, updated with the latest information based on income, prices, mortality and related factors. Overall, the average-income single boomer retiring in 2020 will receive about $500,000 in total benefits, while millennials who turn 65 around 2050 will receive roughly $1 million in total benefits, according to authors C. Eugene Steuerle and Caleb Quakenbush in their report, Social Security and
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Clippings, Industry News, and Long-Term Care.
“Reimbursement limitations on home healthcare are being loosened”
“Reimbursement limitations on home healthcare are being loosened,” by Shelby Livingston, Modern HealthCare “Home healthcare programs similar to Blue Shield’s are proliferating as health plans and at-risk providers look for ways to keep patients out of the hospital or from returning after being discharged. As healthcare costs squeeze patient wallets and company bottom lines, insurers have focused on the savings to be reaped by caring for patients at home. And by removing some benefit restrictions, Medicare is making it easier for those health plans to do so.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): More
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Clippings, Industry News, and Long-Term Care.
EssentialLTC’s 2018 Tax Summary
We’re excited to release the 2018 Tax Summary that highlights the LTCi tax advantages for: Premiums paid by individuals Premiums paid by businesses 1035 exchanges Benefits for LTCi expenses Return of Premium / Surrender Benefits Use this easy easy-to-follow tax guide to begin the tax related part of the LTC planning conversation. You’ll also have a list of applicable IRC codes to provide your clients’ tax advisors. Make the most of the 4th quarter of 2018 and think of business owners looking for another tax deduction for before the end of the year. Contact our Sales Support team at 888-505-2332
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There’s something different about our LTCi underwriting
Big-Picture Underwriting What makes Mutual of Omaha’s LTCi underwriting different? Instead of looking for reasons to deny an applicant, we actually search for ways to issue your business. Our underwriters believe your clients are more than a list of diagnoses. So, they look at everything, including the person’s health, cognitive status and lifestyle. That means even if your client has a chronic health condition but is physically and socially active and working with a physician to control the health issue, they may still qualify for coverage. It all starts with you. Here’s what you can do to help ensure your
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What Makes LTCi Unique?
Have you ever thought about just how unique a traditional LTCi policy is? Not only does it help people protect their families, their finances and their futures…it also can help them reduce their tax bill. Here’s how: Tax-Deductible Premiums — Current tax laws allow for the deduction of either the actual premium paid for a tax-qualified LTCi policy or the eligible premium amount determined annually by the federal government Tax-Free Benefits — Policy benefits from a tax-qualified LTCi policy are intended to be tax-free as long as they don’t exceed the greater of qualified LTC daily expenses, or the per-day
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myTransware Has Been Updated With Census Quote Support
Transamerica is currently in the process of transitioning from the TransQuote® illustration software to myTransware as the primary illustration software for all Long Term Care insurance product quotes. Both the old TransQuote illustration tool and the new myTransware illustration tool are currently available from the ARC website. The Census quoting tool can be accessed via a link under TransCare II on the myTransware home page. At this time you may manually upload and save your Census clients on myTransware. New Jersey can be found on the state list within myTransware. TransQuote will remain available until further notice. The exact expiration
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TransQuote Expiration Date Extension and myTransware Census Quote Support
Transamerica is currently in the process of transitioning from the TransQuote® illustration software to myTransware as the primary illustration software for all Long Term Care insurance product quotes. Both the old TransQuote illustration tool and the new myTransware illustration tool are currently available from the ARC website. In order to provide ample time for you to identify the saved quotes you wish to keep, which are currently on the TransQuote system, and then manually re-create them into myTransware, TransQuote will remain available until further notice. The exact expiration date for TransQuote will be announced on the Agent Resource Center (ARC)
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Quick Tip: Quoting with MutualCare® Solutions Software
There are many ways to save or distribute the illustrations created using the MutualCare® Solutions software. Across the top in the blue, there are options to Print, Preview, Email, or save to PDF: Clicking any of these options will first open a pop-up box, allowing you to choose which of the extra pages you’d like to include. The Print button will send the selected pages directly to your local printer. The Preview button will open a pop-up window that will allow you to view the illustration pages before printing or saving. The Email button* will automatically name a PDF file
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