LTC Financial Partners Engages CareScout to Bring Comprehensive LTC Ratings

For the first time, comprehensive information on long term care providers plus information on how to pay for it will be available from a single source: a national network of 380-plus long term care specialists. Today, LTC Financial Partners (LTCFP), the nation’s most experienced long term care insurance brokerage, has partnered with CareScout.

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5 Steps for Comparing Long Term Care Insurance

Every insurance policy is a legal contract. Once agreed upon by both parties, a long term care insurance company must uphold their contract to the letter, or risk lawsuits and regulatory prosecution. Each policy is crafted with utmost care using the probabilities of actuaries, as well as contract lawyers' keen legaleze, and here's how to navigate the decision process.Understanding the wording of a policy and correctly comparing policies from various companies can be daunting for most folks and exhausting. You must develop a grasp of insurance lingo, and it wouldn't hurt to know how specific points in each contract have been interpreted by courts of law, either.In case you weren't aware, the LTCi sales brochures are not contacts. Sales brochures are created to briefly explain a product and to entice you to buy it. What is printed in a brochure does not represent the intricacies of contract law, yet the brochure MUST, by law, be congruent with the related, legal contract.Even worse, no insurance company's promotional literature can be trusted to thoroughly detail the terms of the target policy/contract. Sales is sales, and truth is truth. (Although, in most states, it is against the law to knowingly produce long term care insurance marketing materials that mislead the public.) I don't believe the Madison Avenue style brochures and commercials which I see created to push pharmaceutical drugs. Instead, I go online and research the contra-indications, side-effects, suitability of the drug for a particular aliment, as well as law-suits against the company manufacturing it. That's called "due diligence" and we owe it to ourselves to do our due diligence when it comes to matters that will affect our loved ones and ourselves.Research pertaining to your decision about long term care insurance is no less important than what you put in your body. So, you must read your policy contract thoroughly. If you have any doubts about the meaning of the wording in an LTCi contract, or whether that contract will protect you when you are in need (as you think it will) you'd be wise to get expert help deciphering the policy.That said, here is the order in which to do your research:1) Talk with your family about your decision to buy long term care insurance. Also, any friends who have a family member who has purchased LTCi in the past, and has gone "on claim", can be great resources. They've "been there, done that" and have experience with the claims process.However, I would NOT recommend taking family members' or friends advice about which policy to buy. They are not qualified to help you. Sure, they would be able to steer you away from a particular company or policy if they have had significant problems during claims time, but deciding which policy would be the best considering your financial and health situations should be between you and a trained (and legally licensed) LTC insurance broker.2) I suggest that you use a trustworthy Long Term Care insurance BROKER, not a captive agent. A captive agent only represents one company. That may be good for the company, but it certainly may not good for you. Make sure that your broker represents SEVERAL long term care insurance companies with the highest ratings. Any company considered should have a B+ rating or better.How do you find an LTCi broker with integrity? Well, you can, but you do not need to go through an "established" insurance firm or agency. Just because a firm or agency is established doesn't mean every agent within that agency will be someone with whom you'd feel comfortable entrusting your future. There are just as many "sharks" inside insurance firms as there are outside of them. Interview brokers until you find someone with whom you enjoy good rapport.I recommend that you begin by connecting with the Buyer's Advocate for free, no-obligaion comparison quotesYou want someone with experience, a deep knowledge of all the companies' policies that he or she represents, and a compassionate heart. Knowledge of policies will be helpful in finding the policy you most desire. Experience comes in very handy if you have health issues. An experienced broker not only knows which policy might suit your long term care desires, but also which companies' underwriters are the most lenient for your particular health problem. Of course, a compassionate heart is the soul of your relationship and should be a sought after and respected part of the equation.3) After you have found a broker with whom you feel comfortable, then have a conversation about your financial and health situation as well as your preferences for long term care (nursing facility only, assisted living, home care, day care, etc). Check out what each policy has to offer and it's restrictions concerning things like restoration of benefits, how many ADLs are required to trigger benefits and whether there is the need for medical supervision. Also consider the various optional benefits such as inflation protection, non-forfeiture, etc.Look over the sales brochures that your broker provides for you. There may be several company and policy options. The sales brochures will help you narrow down your decision as well as bring any question you may have to the forefront.4) Read your Outline of Coverage. In Arizona, the law states that an outline of coverage must be given to every applicant. The Outline of Coverage must truthfully state the basics of the policy. Written in lay terms, the Outline of Coverage more intricately describes what the policy will cover, bit it's not a comples as the actual contract. From this, you can pretty much make up your mind about which policy you want. HOWEVER, an Outline of Coverage is a binding contract. It does not cover every aspect of the policy. The only way to be absolutely sure about the exact wording of your LTCi policy is to decipher the contract itself. READ THE CONTRACT! Again, if you are not entirely sure about what the wording means, then get a legal professional to explain it to you.5) Depending upon your purchase time line (Do you want LTCi protection right now or can it wait a few days, weeks, months) you can request a sample policy from your broker. If you want to buy sooner than later, you can fill out an application. If you are approved, you will get your actual policy to review for 30 days.In Arizona, there are no worries if you buy an LTCi policy first and look afterwards. By law, you have a 30 day "free look" period that you can use to pick your policy apart with the help of a good insurance contract lawyer. And it's not a bad idea to do so, if you have the money.Before you start your buying process, call your Department of Insurance to verify that there is a "free look" period in your state.Keep the envelope in which the policy was mailed and/or insist that your agent give you a signed receipt or delivery when he or she hands you the policy.If you decide to return the policy, you must send it to the insurance company along with a letter requesting that the policy be canceled and your premium refunded. To make sure that the long term care insurance company received your letter and policy, send them both by certified mail and keep your mail receipt.Keep a copy of your correspondence with the insurance company until the refund process is totally competed. The refund process usually takes 4 to 6 weeks.With these steps covered you'll be set.Article Source: http://articles-book.comLong term care insurance activist, Clay Cotton, writes for www.PrepSmart.com - The Online Baby Boomers Decision Assistance Center, where you get Free Long Term Care Insurance advice, comparative rate quotes and personal guidance, all while safely at home in your favorite pajamas and bunny slippers.

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Long Term Care Insurance Sales Leads

Are you an insurance agent? If so, how do you get your long term care insurance leads? Do you look for them online, or do you make hundreds of calls each day to generate them? Insurance agent leads can be found all over the place. And as an agent, you know just how important it is to have a large number of leads to rely on. This way you will be able to make calls everyday on interested parties; not just random people.

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Necessary Components LTCi (Long Term Care Insurance)

Levels of Care – It is very important to make sure that policy you invest in is 100% comprehensive. This will provide you protection in skilled nursing facilities, assisted living residences, adult day care centers and most importantly, home health care. The goal of LTC coverage is to help you maintain independence at your own home for as long as possible. In turn, it would make sense to have access to 100% of your benefits for the place people want to be the most.

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Do You Really Need All Those Long-Term Care Insurance Options?

Long-term care insurance (LTCI) policies are very different from most other kinds of insurance. As a result, even the foundational features of these policies require taking some time to understand before making your final decision.But what about all the other options and features that are not built into the policy and require you to pay extra to get them?

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Buying Long Term Care Insurance

The cost of inpatient nursing home care can exceed $60,000 per year and long-term care expenses typically are not covered by Medicare or by private medical expense insurance. Many of us do not purchase long term care insurance due to our lack of knowledge about the benefits of this type of insurance and the cost of obtaining long term care insurance.What is Long Term Care InsuranceLong term care insurance is private insurance that pays for or offsets costs related to nursing home care and other types of inpatient and outpatient care facilities.Long term care coverage may not begin immediately upon entry to a nursing home or other facility. Rather, long term care coverage begins when one or more doctors deem an individual to be unable to perform two or three of the specified “activities of daily living” (for newer policies). The “activities of daily living” include dressing, eating, bathing, walking and toileting or maintaining continence. Older long term care policies require a period of prior hospitalization for the policy coverage to begin.Once long term coverage begins it generally pays all costs associated with nursing home or other care facilities, until the policy’s maximum benefit is exhausted.

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Why Aren't We Buying Long-Term Care Insurance?

Despite the potential advantages of long-term care insurance, to date the product has not proven broadly popular. In 2005, only 6 million to 7 million people were covered by long-term care insurance. And sales of long-term care policies have been flat to down in recent years.

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Long-term-care insurance a flop

Canada’s insurers face an uphill battle selling long-term-care insurance, and they’ll have to try harder to persuade me.We all know there’s a chance we will eventually need help to perform normal activities of daily living.But the cost of insurance to pay for someone to help us bathe, eat, dress, use the washroom or move from bed to a chair is high.We would have to be incapable of doing two of those things for more than three months before we would collect a cent from one of these insurance policies.And I have yet to see a private insurer provide the detailed analysis it would take to persuade me that my wife and I should fork out nearly $5,500 a year from our pension income to maintain such coverage.Manulife Financial has recently announced what it says is a unique shared-coverage option with the company’s LivingCare policy that would save couples money compared with two separate policies, but only about 10 per cent.

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Protection of Assets and Long-Term Care Insurance

What about Medicaid?In most states, to be eligible for Medicaid assistance, you must have less than $2000 in assets. Your home, one car, and $30 in monthly income are excluded from this provision. Every other asset or income stream (including pensions and social security) goes to the state. Medicaid also is much more restrictive than long-term care insurance. In many states, Medicaid will only pay for assistance in nursing homes that accept Medicaid patients. You would not have the comfort of receiving assistance in your own home like long-term care insurance could offer you.

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Consider Long Term Care Insurance It can save you Thousands

Did you know that long term care insurance can cover the cost of things such as time in a nursing home or assisted living facility? As you can imagine, this type of policy will cover expenses associated with daily activities such as eating, bathing, getting dressed, and much more. Additionally, long term care insurance can also help to keep costs down if you ever run into an incurable, debilitating disease.America's Health Insurance Plans recently released a survey in which 25 percent of baby boomers think that they have some sort of long term care insurance. But guess what? They are actually without any coverage at all. If you do not catch this now, you may go into your golden years thinking you are covered. Of course, this could hurt you big time in the long run.Medicare and Medicaid can both help with costs in these areas, but they do not cover everything for everybody. In order to make sure that everything is taken care of beyond Medicare and Medicaid coverage, long term care insurance is necessary.

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Long Term Care Insurance

Nursing home costs are averaging $61,685 a year* -- and since Medicare and basic health insurance won't cover most (if any) of those costs, you can see the financial uncertainty you might face without long-term care insurance. So it's no wonder that more people are looking into the only long-term care insurance plan that has been endorsed by AARP. There Long-Term Care Insurance Plan is designed to help take the worry out of long-term care planning. It helps to:• Protect your savings and investments • Preserve your personal freedom to choose where and how you receive long-term care services • Pay for home care, whether provided by family and friends or through professional home care organizations • Cover care received in Adult Day Care, Assited Living Facilities, and Nursing Homes • Nurse Care Advisors dedicated to offer members ongoing counsel and support during benefit eligibility. Through there flexible product design, you can structure a plan that's right for you and that meets your specific needs and budget

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How Can Long Term Care Insurance Keep Up With Inflation?

How can long term care insurance Keep Up With Inflation? When purchasing a long term care insurance policy, it is important to have an inflation protection rider included in your policy. Since many people who purchase policies do not access their benefits for many years, having inflation protection helps keep your policy competitive with the rising cost of care.

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Don’t Be Fooled By "Instant Quote" Long Term Care Insurance Websites

There are many choices on how we search for information today. Not only do we have resource libraries, and media opinions, but we now have the greatest source of all. A completely unlimited resource that doesn’t care about politics, or media opinions, or the flavor of the day. It’s the information highway, the internet! With the likes of search engines like Google, and Yahoo at our very finger tips it’s very simply to do a quick search on virtually any topic in question. Unfortunately, just like the predecessors before the internet, some things can be manipulated to fool the average consumer. Let’s take a basic search for Long Term Care Insurance. Oh my, millions and millions of hits,now what?? Well as consumers, we think all we need is a price and then just pick the best one, sometimes possibly, but not in the case of long term care insurance. One price does not fit every American’s inquiry on the internet search engines.For example, let’s say we have a married couple in their late 50’s in reasonably good health. They eat right and take care of themselves physically. Easy right, any product for Long Term Care Insurance. nope, way to many variables. There is absolutely no way this couple could get a fair and honest shake from a site that promises an instant quote. There are always three basic drivers of a long term care insurance plan that determines what company, product, and size of plan one needs, health, age and finances. Health determines best company to utilize; age determines what product is best suited for you; and finances determines size of plans you can comfortably afford. Instant long term care insurance quotes websites may be able to go through a short list of health questions on a site to see if you are even remotely eligible, but that’s it. Then there are medications, doses, pending surgeries, and other controlled conditions that might make a difference to an insurance company. Age is easy enough, but some carriers offer better rates at certain ages than others. Finances are a very unlikely topic to inadvertently display for who knows who, so that’s out too. Now, I’m sure this is beginning to make complete sense. Only if I had never taken any medications, known exactly what company and plan I can afford, then I could possibly get an Instant Quote from the internet. The bottom line, you need an expert in this field to make recommendations about your future needs. Your stock broker, financial planner, tax accountant, lawyer know little more about long term care insurance, other than they know you need it. That is still more than these instant long term care insurance quotes websites. Ask an expert that specializes in long term care insurance and represents several companies. They are out there, don’t trust the protection of your assets and choices in your care to anyone other than a true expert.

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New Options when Considering Long Term Care Insurance

This article delves into the different options now available to most consumers who are considering purchasing a long term care insurance policy. Traditional insurance policies or new hybrid policies can be a beneficial component of an overall, well planned estate.

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Long Term Care Insurance - Is It Really Expensive?

LTCI, Long Term Care Insurance, is it as expensive as some have lead the masses it is? The media, such as articles in newspapers or tv that do stories of insurance usually gets it all wrong! Yet lets examine this just a tad?

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Buying Long Term Care Insurance Leads

Obtaining long term care insurance leads can be the most difficult of all leads. The fact of the matter is that getting long term care insurance leads is hard because of the low number of people that want to buy this type of coverage. Sure, there are some people that would love to have long term care insurance.

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Long Term Care Insurance: When It Makes Sense, When It Doesn't.

A long term stay in a nursing home can be financially devistating, but you can protect yourself with quality long term care insurance. Learn if it makes sense for you and how to get the best deal if it does.

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Long Term Care Insurance Leads

Do you find it hard to obtain long term care insurance leads? If so, you are not alone. The fact of the matter is that long term care insurance is not as popular as other types. Whereas everybody wants to buy health and auto insurance, long term care coverage is a bit less scarce. But with that being said, if you can become a good long term care insurance agent there is plenty of money that can be made. Long term care coverage comes in handy if somebody has to go into a nursing or assisted living home for a long period of time. And even though there may not be a large market for long term care insurance, there are plenty of people who want to buy it. The key as an agent is to find the people who are interested in long term care insurance. This can be done by searching both on and offline. The more ways that you can get long term care insurance leads, the better off you will be in the end. After all, with more leads your conversion rate is obviously going to be higher.

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Comparing Long Term Care Insurance Policies and Insurers

When comparing long term care insurance policies and insures, the most important factors to consider are the type of policy offered and the company stability. Individual stand-alone, comprehensive long term care insurance policies represent the bulk of policies sold. These plans cover most long-term care services and are usually purchased with monthly, quarterly, semiannual or annual premiums, which are paid for the life of the insured. Abbreviated payment options are also available with policies fully paid up after 10 years or to age 65. Comprehensive stand-alone policies are very much like the typical modern group or individual health insurance policy. They try to cover as many different care alternatives as possible.

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Long Term Care Insurance Leads Online

In today's day and age there is insurance for everything. You can buy everything from life insurance to health insurance to long term care insurance. It seems as if the options are nearly endless. And to go along with this there are also people that sell every type of insurance.

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Free Prescription Drugs, Long-Term Care

"Some [presidential candidates] want to make it mandatory for people to have health insurance, but what they are not mandating is the money insurance companies can make. People can have health insurance, but be in worse shape after treatment with the deductibles, co-pays and premiums," he said. "Under my plan, the prescription drugs are free, the long-term care is covered. Anyone who has cancer is covered for all their treatments," Kucinich said, citing the cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars to "stay alive. What's the cost of a life?"

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Video: Is long-term care insurance a good investment?

Is long-term care insurance a good investment?

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Long Term Care Guide

Temporary long-term care versus ongoing long-term care – It is important to note the differences between these two types of care to understand your coverage. Temporary care occurs for weeks or months, and is generally used to describe rehabilitation periods after a hospital stay, recovering from surgery, an illness, injury or terminal medical condition. Ongoing long-term care requires assistance for a chronic medical condition or chronic severe pain, permanent disability or dementia.

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Make Your Long-Term Care Premiums Deductible

If you are paying long-term care insurance premiums and are self-employed or do not have access to group health insurance, then there is a way that you can deduct at least some, if not all, of your premium cost on your income tax return. Health Savings Accounts count long-term care insurance premiums as deductible medical expenses.

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Health Insurance

The term health insurance is generally used to describe a form of insurance that pays for medical expenses. It is sometimes used more broadly to include insurance covering disability or long-term nursing or custodial care needs. It may be provided through a government-sponsored social insurance program, or from private insurance companies. It may be purchased on a group basis (e.g., by a firm to cover its employees) or purchased by individual consumers. In each case, the covered groups or individuals pay premiums or taxes to help protect themselves from high or unexpected healthcare expenses. Similar benefits paying for medical expenses may also be provided through social welfare programs funded by the government. Health insurance works by estimating the overall risk of healthcare expenses and developing a routine finance structure (such as a monthly premium or annual tax) that will ensure that money is available to pay for the healthcare benefits specified in the insurance agreement. The benefit is administered by a central organization, most often either a government agency or a private or not-for-profit entity operating a health plan.

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Long Term Care Insurance For You

(By David Chazin)In conjunction with Sagemark Consulting, a division of Lincoln Financial Advisors, a registered investment advisor. Mr. Chazin is a regular contributor to PlannerConnectThe average annual cost of care in a private nursing home is about $66,0001 a sum that could quickly deplete almost anyone’s assets. One way to protect yourself and your assets is to purchase a long-term care insurance policy — just in case. Essentially, long-term care insurance pays for extended care either in a nursing home or by a health-care professional in a person’s own home. Benefits generally become available when the insured person cannot perform one or more activities of daily living, such as bathing and dressing. Do You Need It? Neither Medicare nor standard health insurance pays more than a small amount, if anything at all, for long-term care. Medicaid will pay, but only if your income and assets don’t exceed the modest amounts set by the government. Some people are able to “self insure.” To understand how this works, consider Mary and Al, a hypothetical couple. When they retired at age 65, Al had a pension from his employer, as well as an individual retirement account (IRA). Mary had the money she’d put away in her employer’s retirement savings plan. During the early years of their retirement, they lived comfortably on Al’s pension and IRA and saved Mary’s retirement account for future medical care — if necessary. 1 Market Survey of Nursing Home & Home Care Costs, MetLife Mature Market Institute, August 2003 Several years later, Al had to enter a nursing home. Mary’s assets covered his two-year stay in the home. However, if the couple had not had Mary’s retirement account to draw on to pay for Al’s care, they would have been forced to use income Mary needed for her living expenses to pay for Al’s care. The bottom line: Unless you have sufficient assets that you won’t need for other retirement needs, you should consider buying long-term care insurance. What To Look For When evaluating policies, shop carefully and ask plenty of questions. Look for a policy that offers inflation protection. A benefit that seems adequate today may not be enough when you need it. For example, if nursing home prices were to rise by 5% per year, the current average $66,000 annual bill could top $175,000 in 20 years. Another consideration is the policy’s waiting period. Figure out how long you can afford to self-insure before benefits actually begin. The longer the waiting period, the less expensive the policy is likely to be. Other important features to evaluate are the daily benefit amount and the length of the benefit period. Higher benefit amounts and longer benefit periods generally increase premiums. Premiums will be more affordable if you buy a policy when you are young and healthy. The older you are, the more you can expect to pay for long-term care insurance. Premiums may also be higher — perhaps significantly so — if you are in poor health when you buy a policy. If you already have long-term care insurance, review your policy to be sure it meets your needs. The best policy for you will depend on your personal financial situation. Help from Uncle Sam Long-term care insurance can be expensive. But, if you itemize deductions on your federal tax return, you may be able to deduct part or all of the premiums you pay for a qualified long-term care policy as a medical expense. Long-term Care Premiums May Be Deductible Your Age-Maximum Amount Deductible*: 40 or younger- $260; 41 to 50- $490; 51 to 60- $980; 61 to 70- $2,600; 71 or older- $3,250; * These 2004 limits will be adjusted for inflation in future years. Keep in mind that you can only deduct medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. So, you may have to incur significant other medical expenses in order to deduct your long-term care premiums. Check with your tax advisor to see how much — if anything — you can deduct. Planning for long-term care can help you maintain control over your finances and improve your chances of getting the care you want. For more information, consult your financial advisor. David N. Chazin is part of a network of qualified financial planners affiliated with PlannerConnect. You can reach him at David.Chazin@LFG, or to connect with a financial planner in your area please call (800) 318-7848, or visit the PlannerConnect website. David N. Chazin, is a registered representative of Lincoln Financial Advisors, a broker/dealer, and offers investment advisory service through Sagemark Consulting, a division of Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp., a registered investment advisor,3000 Executive Parkway, Suite 400, San Ramon, CA 94583, (925) 275-0300. Insurance offered through Lincoln affiliates and other fine companies. This information should not be construed as legal or tax advice. You may want to consult a tax advisor regarding this information as it relates to your personal circumstances.Article Directory: http://www.articlecube.com, PlannerConnect www.PlannerConnect.com

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What is Long Term Care Insurance?

Long term care insurance is the type of insurance that will pay for care a person receives when they need help either at home or in a facility with their activities of daily living (eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring, and maintaining continence) due to an accident such as a fall, illness such as Alzheimer's, or just plain old age. The major long term care insurance companies are Genworth Financial, John Hancock, MetLife, Prudential, Allianz, Mass Mutual, New York Life, and Penn Treaty Network America. Long term care is not limited to the elderly. For example, look at Christopher Reeves or Michael J. Fox; both had unfortunate accidents or illnesses at young ages. Accidents and unexpected illness can happen at any time, and fate does not take one's age into account. Many people underestimate the risk of needing long term care at an earlier age. Financial advisers commonly advise their younger clients to consider long term care insurance. The upshot is that younger applicants get significantly lower premiums. How much does Long Term Care cost?National nursing home care costs average between $40,000 and $100,000 per year, depending upon location and level of care. Home health care costs will vary depending on the type and amount of care required. For most of people, this expense would apply a severe strain on their financial security and independence. Who pays for the Long Term Care bills? You do because... Many people mistakenly believe that their health insurance or Medicare will pay for long term care. Currently, private health insurance and Medicare do not cover the majority of long term care costs so a long term care insurance policy might be an option for your financial plan. Health insurance is designed to pay expenses for medical costs such as Doctor Visits, tests, medicines, surgery, or other specific services. Health Insurance will not pay the extra cost of long term care. Government programs such as Medicare, at present, are restricted or limited to only 20 days nursing home care. Medicare, for instance, is designed to provide health insurance for people over age 65 and pays only 4% of long term care costs annually. Medicaid, which is the welfare program, pays approximately 45% of the total spent on long term care, most individuals will deplete their assets to poverty level and then qualify for long term care services. Individuals or their families typically carry the burden of long term care expenses. In fact, consumers or pay 41% of the nation’s long term care costs. How do I apply for Long Term Care Insurance?Long term care insurance is offered in a different fashion than group health and other insurance products. Retirees deal directly with an insurer through a broker or insurance agent. The brokers (such as LTCtree.com) will work for multiple carriers and will be more objective than an agent who works for just one company. Long Term Care Insurance will provide potential protection to all retirees, spouses, and eligible dependents; however, some individuals may be denied coverage because of poor health. Rates will vary with your age so apply while you are young and healthy. Long Term Care Insurance cannot prevent you from ever needing long term care services, but it can help you protect yourself and your family from the financial burden or depleting your assets. For a more in-depth look into your long term care research we have our Long Term Care School 101 class to help guild you through the maze.

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Getting Your Doctor Involved: Long Term Care Planning

(by Rhonda Spranger) Every year hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on long term care. While some of these costs are covered by government health insurance programs, a lot of the expenses related to long term care are covered by private funds and savings. People who do not have insurance coverage, or who do not have a large nest egg to work with, often have to deal with sub-par treatment or no treatment at all. If you want to ensure that you receive the best long term care possible, then you need to plan for your LTC needs early.What is Long Term CareLong term care, basically put, is chronic medical treatment. It takes several forms. First long term care can include hospitalizations, nursing home care and assisted living facility care. Next is can include at home services like nursing care, housekeeping and personal care. Finally, long term care can include things like rehabilitation therapies, IV therapies and medical supplies that you need on an on-going basis like bandages, glucose strips and meters and bladder control pads.Family HistoriesThere are several things that you need to take into consideration when planning for your long term care needs. The first thing that you need to consider is your family history. Your family history is a great tool to use as a predictor of the types of long term care that you will need. For example, if your dad and grandfather both had strokes, then you have a good chance of having one or more strokes in your lifetime. Family histories can also be used to predict when you will need your LTC insurance to kick in.Enlisting the Help of Your DoctorYour current medical condition can also be used as a planning tool. However, to get the most from this tool you will need the help of your doctor. During your next check up or physical, have your doctor run a panel of tests to gage how healthy you are, as well as to identify health risk factors. Then talk to your doctor about what possible health concerns you may develop, and how your current health concerns may impact your need for long term care.To get the most from your doctor’s visit, you will want to prepare a head of time. Create a list of questions about your health and your family health history. Also ask about the types of treatments that are needed by the health risks that you have. This will help you to identify long term care insurance programs and plans that will fit your future LTC needs.

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Aviva Insurance is the largest insurance company in UK

Aviva Insurance is the largest insurance company in UK and the world's fifth-largest insurance group that offers customers life insurance,auto insurance,long term care insurance,investments ,saving products. www.aviva.com is online source of Aviva plc,also known as Aviva Insurance. Aviva Insurance is the largest insurance company in UK and the world's fifth-largest insurance group that offers customers life insurance,auto insurance,long term care insurance,investments ,saving products.

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Long Term Care Insurance and Mobility Issues

Learn how you can use long term care insurance to cover the cost of various mobility services. Learn about transportation services and mobilty equipment coverage.

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Protect Yourself With Long Term Health Care Insurance

In some areas of the country the cost of long term health care is as high as $100,000 per year. Since the average length of a long-term care stay in a facility is 3.1 years, you can do the math. G. M. Goldman & Associates, Inc. has specialized in the needs of the 50+ population for over 30 years. As Long Term Care insurance has evolved, our agency’s focus has become more defined. We are Long Term Care specialists. We have the experience to guide and educate you on your options. We represent all the top companies so we can make unbiased recommendations. Our clients appreciate the fact that we are not “from” a company. We can accommodate the client who says, “show me XYZ company”. Or, we can work with the client who wants to see a side by side comparison of 6 companies. Our goal is to put ourselves in your shoes and give you as much information possible to help you make an informed and educated decision. When you work with us, you will know that you have an agency that listens and places your interest first, a professional agency that serves you with competence, care and integrity.

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Investing in disability and long-term care insurance

As the average life expectancy increases, so does the cost of medical care. Though the majority of Americans have at least some health insurance, few consider that they could suddenly become ill or disabled. But in fact, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates, there are 54 million disabled Americans. Spending one’s final years in a nursing home, or under home care, is also not something we like to think about, yet it is very much a reality. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services report that 60 percent of Americans over age 65 require long-term care. Dealing with these realties of disability from unexpected illness and the possible need for long-term care are best dealt with sooner than later.Investing in disability and long-term care insurance coverage can help protect you and your family in these times of need. Most of us, however, don’t want insurance agents and brokers poking their noses into our medical histories. Why disclose a health condition or family medical records and risk raising your premiums? No-test insurance is an excellent choice for you.What is no-test insurance?No-test insurance is coverage that does not require a medical exam or health questions. Providers of no-test insurance sometimes guarantee coverage depending on the policy type you seek. Many even let you apply online from the privacy of your home. If you’ve been turned down by traditional insurance providers, no-test insurance could be the solution.Why you should have disability insurance?Disability insurance helps protect you by replacing part or most of your income if you’ve been disabled and cannot work. If you have health insurance, your medical costs should be covered if you’re injured or sick. But were an unexpected tragedy to occur; are you and your family prepared for the loss of your paycheck? If you rely on your salary for daily living expenses like rent and food, you need to seriously look at the benefits of having disability coverage.There are two types of disability policies: short-term and long-term. Short-term coverage usually substitutes 100% of lost salary for up to six months of missed work. The clock starts after you have used all your sick leave. But if you’re still unable to work after the six months, payments will drop to about 60% of your wages.Long-term disability coverage, on the other hand, is by far the most important type of insurance you can buy. Policies vary, but usually your coverage will replace 50-70% of your salary. And ask your employer if you’re allowed to purchase additional insurance, which could raise payments to as much as 80%.Is long-term care insurance right for you?If you or a loved one is approaching your mid-fifties or older, you should seriously consider the benefits of long-term care insurance. A growing number of seniors find they are unable to live independently, and the cost of extended nursing home and home health care can be extremely expensive. Long-term care policies usually cover extended care at home, a nursing home, or an assisted-living facility. Like disability, policies can vary. But whichever policy you choose, make sure it says "guaranteed renewable." This prevents the insurance company from dropping your policy.Final considerationsNo-test insurance is the hassle-free way to get the insurance you and your loved ones need. There are no agent visits, physicals done by doctors, or extensive background checks, so most policies can be purchased online in the privacy of your home. Disability insurance is designed to lessen financial hardships in the face of tragedy, and long-term care insurance extends your quality of life in the midst of rising health care costs. Remember, whatever the policy, be sure to understand all the terms and conditions before making a commitment to buy. Choose wisely and live safely.

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Allianz Life Insurance

Allianz Life Insurance is A primary company of the Allianz Group that offers clients life insurance,long-term care insurance,annuities and and healthcare excess of loss products. www.allianzlife.com is online source of Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America,also known as Allianz Life Insurance. Allianz Life Insurance is A primary company of the Allianz Group that offers clients life insurance,long-term care insurance,annuities and and healthcare excess of loss products.

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Texas Care Association Wants Focus On Eldercare For Primary

The Texas Health Care Association (THCA) urges the major presidential candidates of both parties to go beyond the discussion of increasing Americans' health insurance access, and to also include a needed discussion on how to strengthen long term care programs for the benefit of Texas' seniors and disabled citizens. "As more Boomers enter our retirement system, our residents and the caregivers who serve them want to know specifically what each candidate will do to bolster Medicare and Medicaid financing in a way that ensures we have the ongoing capacity to provide quality care today as well as tomorrow," Graves says.Graves says proposed federal cuts to Medicare and Medicaid contained in the Bush administration's fiscal year 2009 federa budget -- on top of Texas' already over-burdened state Medicaid program -- will create an even more problematic scenario for the state's most vulnerable elderly and disabled residents. "With upwards of 60 percent of nursing home operating expenses driven by labor costs, additional financial pressures placed on facilitiescaused by federal funding cuts will undermine patients, and further destabilize our direct care workforce," Graves says.In the wake of federal efforts to reduce Medicare and Medicaid funding, THCA is encouraging a broader public debate surrounding long term care financing issues, and why Texas' daily Medicaid reimbursement rate has slipped to 49th in the nation, which, Graves observed, does not have the capacity to meet the growing complex care needs of Texas' rapidly agingpopulation.

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Who Should Fund The Boomer’s Retirement?

Social Security, Medicare, Long Term Care Insurance and More — Who Should Pay for It All? Boomers? Children of Boomers? Grandchildren of Boomers? Social Security, Medicare, Long Term Care Insurance and More — Who Should Pay for It All? Boomers? Children of Boomers? Grandchildren of Boomers?We children of boomers are already going to have to fund Social Security and Medicare. The baby boomers are retiring with these programs being unfunded. We will be paying our taxes to fund our parents (and grandparents) retirement.

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Get LTC Benefits Even if You Don't Qualify for Coverage

While long-term care insurance is widely considered to be the best way to protect yourself against the costs associated with nursing home or skilled care, those who cannot meet underwriting requirements have another alternative.

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White House Budget Plan Eviscerates New York’s Hospita

Hospitals and health care providers across New York State would lose a staggering $10 billion under the proposed budget released by President George W. Bush, according to analysis by the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS), the only statewide hospital and continuing care association in New York State.The President’s proposal for federal fiscal year (FFY) 2009 includes a broad array of deep cuts that would imperil patient care, including provisions that over five years would cut Medicare payments for physician training in New York by more than $4 billion, and cut $1.5 billion for New York hospitals that care for high concentrations of poor and uninsured patients.“President Bush’s final budget represents the most hostile attack of the health care system that we have seen in a generation,” HANYS President Daniel Sisto said.“His proposal would eviscerate core health care funding areas, such as doctor training and care for the poor and uninsured. If enacted, these cuts would exacerbate existing doctor shortages and diminish our hospitals’ ability to provide care to our most vulnerable patients. It’s a plan that is in perfect lockstep with this President’s penchant for turning bad situations into disasters.“Our message to the New York State Congressional Delegation is clear: our patients are again counting on you to reject these massive funding cuts,” Mr. Sisto said.

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Worst Performing Nursing Homes

he federal government has listed the 54 nursing homes it rated as the worst performing in their states, as provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services:

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California Nurses Association >> Legislative Advocacy

CNA/NNOC is a leading national advocate for universal healthcare reform, through a single-payer style system based on an improved and expanded Medicare for all. In 2007, CNA/NNOC is campaigning for single-payer legislation, HR 676 in Congress, and SB 840 in California.

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Ralph Nader - Single Payer. It's a no-brainer.

The majority of Americans want a:Single payerMedicare for all. Canadian style health care system – with freedom of choice of doctors and hospitals.Doctors support single payer.Nurses support single payer.The majority of the American people support single payer.Ralph Nader supports single payer.

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54 Worst Nursing Homes in the United States (2007)

The federal government's list of the 54 worst performing nursing homes in each state as provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

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Nurses call for single-payer health plan, like Kuchinich's

An advertisement, due to appear Monday in Iowa newspapers ahead of upcoming caucuses there, calls for a single-payer, national health-insurance plan similar to Medicare. Only Kucinich offers such a plan.

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America's 52 Worst Nursing Homes

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released the first-ever official list of America's Worst Nursing Homes. Those designated as SFFs are guilty of either more violations or more serious violations than usual, as well as a history of fixing problems just long enough to pass inspection, then going right back to business as usual.

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CMS Proposes Increase In Medicare Payments

Medicare payments to nursing homes would increase by approximately $690million in fiscal 2008 under new rates proposed today by the Centers forMedicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This 3.3 percent increase wouldaffect payment rates to nursing facilities that furnish certain skillednursing and rehabilitation care to Medicare beneficiaries recoveringfrom serious health problems. The proposed rule for the skilled nursingfacility prospective payment system (SNF PPS) was placed on display atthe Federal Register today.

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CHAMP Act Slashes Seniors' Nursing Home Care 2.7 Billion Dollars Over

Despite the effort by the House Ways and Means Committee to spin the hastily-crafted Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act of 2007 (CHAMP Act) as beneficial to "America's Greatest Generation," new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) data, in fact, has determined that the nation's oldest, highest acuity nursing home residents will suffer Medicare Part A budget cuts of $2.7 billion over five years, prompting the American Health Care Association (AHCA) to question why this highly vulnerable population has been singled out for the highest level of cuts. "The CHAMP Act, as it now stands in the House Ways and Means Committee, is highly detrimental to the long term care needs of 'America's Greatest Generation' as well as future generations - contrary to the claims being made by its proponents," stated Bruce Yarwood, President and CEO of AHCA. "Cutting funding for America's oldest, sickest seniors by $2.7 billion over five years, as CBO has determined, is the wrong way to finance the broader objectives of the legislation. It is incumbent upon the bill's supporters to explain why this highly vulnerable population must suffer from the highest level of cuts." Yarwood also said the CHAMP Act, in its current form, will have "negative repercussions" on the nation's more than 15,000 skilled nursing facilities, every one of the nation's nearly 1.5 million nursing home residents, and every one of the nation's more than 1.7 million caring employees who work to provide quality care to U.S. seniors. Cuts of this magnitude could restrict the profession's capacity to hire and retain well-qualified nursing staff who provide essential high quality care at the bedside. "The more one looks at the financing details of the CHAMP Act, the more one can see that rural, urban and suburban seniors - and those who care for them - have an enormous stake in ensuring these Medicare cuts are rescinded," he concluded. "When Medicare funding for skilled nursing services is stable, quality of care and services improves. When Medicare funding is cut in a manner similar to the CHAMP Act, our nation's long term care infrastructure deteriorates - to the detriment of the Greatest Generation as well as future retirees."

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Wouldn't you rather earn $10/hr vs sending mom or dad to the nursing home.

Vermont takes a new approach to elder care. A paradigm shift in long-term elderly care that improves quality of life, and saves Medicare/Medicaid billions and helps to secure everyone's future here in America.

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Long Term Care Insurance

AARP Long-Term Care InsuranceNursing home costs are averaging $61,685 a year* -- and since Medicare and basic health insurance won't cover most (if any) of those costs, you can see the financial uncertainty you might face without long-term care insurance. So it's no wonder that more people are looking into the only long-term care insurance plan that has been endorsed by AARP. There Long-Term Care Insurance Plan is designed to help take the worry out of long-term care planning. It helps to:• Protect your savings and investments • Preserve your personal freedom to choose where and how you receive long-term care services • Pay for home care, whether provided by family and friends or through professional home care organizations • Cover care received in Adult Day Care, Assited Living Facilities, and Nursing Homes • Nurse Care Advisors dedicated to offer members ongoing counsel and support during benefit eligibility. Through there flexible product design, you can structure a plan that's right for you and that meets your specific needs and budget

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A health care nightmare: Insurance doesn't pay, Medicare doesn't care

Late in the afternoon an 81 year-old man is told that his wife is being tossed out of skilled-nursing. At 5:30 the case manager says we can appeal, but it must be done by noon the next day. We get the appeal in. Today, a week later (September 17th), we're told "Appeal Denied." Why, because they say we didn't file it in time.

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Evildoer Bush hates Elderly and Children

” Most of the Medicare savings in the budget would be achieved “by reducing the annual update in federal payments to hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, ambulances and home care agencies.”. HEALTH CARE SLASHED: Bush’s budget will include $170 billion in cuts to Medicare over the next five years and will also cut $1.2 billion from Medicaid next year “and nearly $14 billion over five years.” Most of the Medicare savings in the budget would be achieved “by reducing the annual update in federal payments to hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, ambulances and home care agencies.” The largest savings “by far” come from cutting funding to hospitals, even as hospitals are closing across the country. (Three hundred fewer public hospitals exist today than 15 years ago.) William Dombi, vice president of the National Association for Home Care and Hospice, said that under Bush’s budget, “75 percent to 80 percent of home health agencies would be doomed. They would not be able to meet payroll. They would not be able to operate.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said, “The President’s cuts are exactly the wrong medicine when the cost of health care and the number of uninsured continue to rise and families are feeling economically insecure.”

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