Details about Washington State’s mandated long-term care law and payroll tax are slowly emerging. Even so there are so many unknowns and the opt-out provisions are vague. With so much left unclear, the looming deadline and things changing so quickly, Mutual of Omaha is responding with caution, taking an observational approach. From the Desk of Tess Grace Effective immediately, Mutual of Omaha is suspending long-term care sales in the state of Washington. Here’s what you need to know: Applications submitted on or before the end of the day June 16, 2021, will be processed as normal. All pending in-house
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Washington Cares Fund – Update
GoldenCare has received many questions related to the Washington Cares Fund, and want to help position you for success. We’ve gathered key details here, ranging from the informative consumer website, LTCi carrier news and updates, to news articles and related stories. WA Cares Fund consumer website http://www.wacaresfund.wa.gov/private-insurance/ Long-Term Care Insurance Case Monitoring Update June 24, 2021 Mutual of Omaha has experienced a large influx of long-term care application submissions over the past several weeks due to the WA Cares Fund. This increase in submissions has caused a slight delay in entering LTC applications into our back-office systems and subsequently
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Industry News, Long-Term Care, and Mutual of Omaha (& Affiliates).
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Washington State Long-Term Care Insurance Product Offering Update
In efforts to support the Washington State Cares Fund initiative, Mutual of Omaha implemented underwriting and commission changes for applications received from the state of Washington, including: A 100% chargeback for policies issued May 19, 2021 – November 1, 2021 and lapsing within the first policy year. Declining applications for clients not seen by a physician in the last 24 months. However, due to continually increasing application volumes from the state, Mutual of Omaha must make additional modifications. Effective immediately, we are instituting the following adjustments to the MutualCare® Solutions product offerings for the state of Washington: Increasing minimum issue
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ATTENTION FLORIDA AGENTS: Optional HHC Rider Now Available
Effective June 1, 2021, Mutual of Omaha implemented pricing and benefit changes in four additional states (DC, FL, ND & SD). In Florida, however, one additional change was made to enhance the product offering. When the MutualCare® Solutions LTCi products were launched in 2013, the Florida State Department of Insurance approved a state-specific version which did not allow the optional Waiver of Elimination Period for Home Health Care rider to be offered. Exciting News! Mutual of Omaha is pleased to announce that, as of June 1, 2021, Florida MutualCare® Solutions LTCi policies can now be sold including this optional rider!
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Washington State Underwriting and Compensation Updates
The state of Washington recently passed the WA LTC Trust Act, now renamed as the WA Cares Fund. This legislation is intended to provide a limited amount of long-term care coverage for qualified Washington residents by levying an uncapped payroll tax of .58% on all wages beginning January 1, 2022. The state is allowing residents to opt-out of this long-term care payroll tax; however, the employee must attest that he or she has a long-term care insurance policy in force on or before November 1, 2021. Due to the approaching deadline, we are experiencing a significant increase in application volumes.
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Encourage Clients to Purchase LTCi Now, Not Later
Your clients have busy lives. Between family and work obligations, they have a lot going on. So even if they understand the value of long-term care insurance, purchasing a policy often isn’t a top priority. But they may not be aware there’s cost associated with waiting. It’s easy to put things off until tomorrow. But some of life’s decisions are too important to ignore. Waiting to purchase a long-term care insurance policy is one of them. Waiting may mean paying higher premiums down the road. Procrastinating also could lead to the inability to qualify for coverage. That makes this concept
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Reminder: Updated Other Than Applied Processes
As a reminder, effective March 1, 2021, the other than applied processes listed below have been updated. Declined Spouse: When both spouses apply and one is declined, underwriting will issue the approved spouse with a reduction in partner allowance percentage and remove Shared Care, if applicable. No hold will occur. Rate Class or Benefit Selection with Shared Care: When one or both spouses are approved other than applied due to rate class or benefit selection, a communication is sent to the application designated contact notifying them of the required changes. We will hold issue for 7 days. Underwriting Evidence: When
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Updated Other Than Applied Process
Effective March 1, 2021, the other than applied processes listed below have been updated. Declined Spouse: When both spouses apply and one is declined, underwriting will issue the approved spouse with a reduction in partner allowance percentage and remove Shared Care, if applicable. No hold will occur. Rate Class or Benefit Selection with Shared Care: When one or both spouses are approved other than applied due to rate class or benefit selection, a communication is sent to the application designated contact notifying them of the required changes. We will hold issue for 7 days. Underwriting Evidence: When an application is
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LTCi Application Tips
Painting a picture is the best way to ensure your cases are issued quicker When underwriting your LTCi cases, Mutual of Omaha looks at the total picture, including your client’s health, cognitive status and lifestyle. So, the better job you do painting a picture of your client’s situation, the faster the underwriting process will go. Mutual of Omaha knows your LTCi clients are more than a list of diagnoses. Even people with chronic health conditions can be viewed favorably as long as they’re physically and socially active and working with a physician to manage their health. But underwriting has to
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Cash and Reimbursement… The Best of Both Worlds
MutualCare® Solutions policies give your clients two options on receiving long-term care benefits – cash or reimbursement. Cash Benefit The cash benefit can be used for any services that supports the plan of care. Plus, there is no elimination period to meet before receiving the cash. Reimbursement Benefit After the elimination period is met, the reimbursement benefit allows your client to access covered long-term care services, reimbursed up to the selected amount each month. Best of all, your clients have the flexibility to switch between the cash or reimbursement benefit at any time. For more details on the MutualCare® Solutions
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