“Senior living might want to take a new look at an old friend,” by John O’Connor, McKnight’s Senior Living “Odd as it now seems, there was a time when private insurance was allowed to sit with the grownups. … Turns out the sellers grossly underestimated how expensive and likely senior living services would turn out to be. Most of the dozens of firms that once sold private long-term care coverage culled it from their portfolio as quickly and quietly as possible. … But a rebound of sorts appears to be underway. A growing number of firms are starting to sell
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“New Stand-Alone LTCI Player Continues to Move Forward,” by Allison Bell, ThinkAdvisor  “The team behind a new stand-alone long-term care insurance (LTCI) policy, the EssentialLTC policy, is continuing to expand its LTCI effort. National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL) and LifeCare Assurance Company report that they have achieved Long Term Care Partnership program status in seven more states. The EssentialLTC team can now offer policyholders access to state LTC Partnership programs in a total of 13 states, the companies say.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Bucking the trend. New Stand-Alone LTCI Player Continues
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“How to Talk About Long-Term Care Planning Now,” by Margie Barrie, ThinkAdvisor “Margie Barrie, a veteran long-term care insurance (LTCI) agent, marketer and educator, has been writing articles about long-term care (LTC) planning and related issues for decades. Here she looks at the nuts and bolts of LTC planning communication. Q. I want to improve my client presentation by adding some new key phrases. What can you suggest? A. Here’s the lingo I heard recently, while attending a workshop hosted by OneAmerica. During the two days there, I compiled a list of phrases that I plan to use myself. Plus, I
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“New screening tool could help diagnose early cognitive decline in dementia from home,” Science Daily “An international team of scientists have developed a new way to screen for age-related cognitive decline at home using a test which asks people to detect sounds and flashes on their laptop or phone.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Early diagnosis is more critical than ever as behavioral modifications to reduce or reverse cognitive decline become more seriously considered. New screening tool could help diagnose early cognitive decline in dementia from home #dementia #goldencareagent
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“Help clients come to grips with long-term care,” by Charles Paikert, Financial Planning “Starting a conversation about planning for illness and decline in old age is difficult with any client. Those who fall into the high-net-worth category are no exception. Nearly 60% of financial advisors working with clients with $1 million or more in investable assets say fewer than a quarter of their clients have a long-term care plan, according to a new Key Private Bank study. So how can advisors persuade clients to start thinking about putting a plan in place? Ask them if they’ve had family experience with
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“The Low-Down on the Medicaid Spend-Down,” by Kara Gansmann, Wilmington Biz Insights Quote: “During a Medicaid spend-down, individuals and couples may consider spending money on these items: Updating the home. … A new vehicle. Use caution if purchasing a new luxury vehicle, however. Pre-paid irrevocable funeral plans. … Household goods or personal effects for either spouse. … Debt repayment. The key here is to make sure that the debts are repaid only after the Medicaid snapshot date has been established.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): This paid-content article in a local newspaper is typical
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“Walgreens and Humana are partnering to create senior health hubs,” by Angelica LaVeto, CNBC “Drugstore chain Walgreens is partnering with health insurer Humana to open senior-focused care centers. They plan to open two locations inside Walgreens stores this fall in the Kansas City, Missouri, area with primary care services, pharmacies and other services like a Humana representative to answer seniors’ Medicare questions. Humana will run the clinics through its Partners in Primary Care business. The unit already opened four independent centers in the area last year. The partnership is just the latest example of health insurers trying to become more
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