You or your spouse are increasingly likely to have a Long Term Care event during your retirement years. But most people don’t realize how expensive Long Term Care can be. And contrary to what many people believe the majority of it is not covered by most private health insurance plans or by Medicare.

• Average cost of a Nursing Home is over $70,000 a year*
• Average cost of Home Care Aid is $32.50 per hour*

Perhaps the biggest missing component in most people’s retirement plan is preparation for the potentially devastating financial impact of an illness requiring Long Term Care.

If you are relying on your health insurance or Medicare you may be in for a surprise. Medicare doesn’t offer extended Long Term Care coverage. (Medicaid does, but only if you are legally destitute). The statistics can be shocking. Nearly two-thirds of people over age 65 will need Long Term Care at home or in a facility.*

However, Long Term Care insurance isn’t right for everyone. Work with a Long Term Care specialist to find the type of plan that fits your needs and budget.

>> Go Here to take the first step to make a plan for your Long Term Care needs»

ACSIA Long Term Care, Inc. is proud to represent the top carriers in the Long Term Care Insurance industry. We have carefully selected our carrier partners based on their experience, ratings and customer credibility. They have demonstrated to us that they are committed to their policyholders through policy benefits, premium pricing and claims-paying history. We are proud to be associated with them.

* U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Clearinghouse for Long Term Care Information, 10/22/08.

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Over 100 million Americans do not have dental insurance. Thousands seek help at free dental care clinics that are often overwhelmed with the high demand for their services.

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For more information, please visit http://www.aaltci.org

The first major open enrollment for the nation’s largest group long-term care insurance program begins April 4 (and runs until June 24).

Millions of federal employees are eligible, as are postal service employees, active military — spouses and (for the first time) same-sex partners.

The Federal plan has ‘simplified’ health underwriting (basically 9, Yes or No "knock out" questions).  That makes the program very attractive for many.

But, as a group plan, there are no discounts for good health, and no discounts for couples or partners when both apply (and 70% of long-term care insurance is purchased by couples).  Attached is a summary which includes rate comparisons from our 2011 LTC Insurance Price Index.  Couples (especially) who can health qualify for private long-term care insurance can generally obtain equal coverage for less money.  They can even get better coverage for less money(as we show some scenarios including the Shared Care option which is extremely valuable).  That’s an important message I hope you’ll convey to educate consumers.

The Federal plan currently has over 200,000 participants … and I hope that doubles with the new Open Enrollment. 

During the last major enrollment (2002), thanks to all the added awareness, sales of private long-term care insurance were higher than normal.  Obviously, we hope that happens again too.

If you have questions, please call the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.

The Association now has over 3,200 long-term care insurance professionals who can be found using our Online Look-Up. 

Jesse Slome, Executive Director
American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance

http://www.aaltci.org

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Digestive Enzymes are enzymes that specifically work in the digestive system to facilitate the digestion, absorption, and transportation of nutrients. They also work to promote timely elimination of digestive waste products that are not of use to the body. Without enzymes, our cells would not get adequate nutrition and we would not survive.

Enzymes function as catalysts to enhance and dramatically speed up biochemical reactions that occur in every one of our cells. They are only activated in water, so staying hydrated is very important for enzymes to work effectively. Enzymes must be present to ensure proper digestion of nutrients, energy production, metabolism, transportation of fluid to cells, and elimination of toxins among many other functions.

Enzymes exist in foods to help our body’s breakdown what we eat. Raw, uncooked foods are the only foods that contain enzymes. Since the majority of our diets are cooked foods, we significantly limit the enzymes available in our food for digestion, thus putting more stress on our digestive systems. Some supplemental enzymes should be taken with food to enhance digestion and absorption of nutrients, whereas other supplemental enzymes should be taken on an empty stomach to support circulation, decrease inflammation, support our immune systems and combat stress. Imbalances in these factors have been scientifically proven to be associated with or the cause of numerous diseases.

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What does nutrition have to do with mental health? You might be surprised to find out the truth behind what happens when a person has a nutritional deficiency. Nutritional deficiencies can cause all sorts of psychiatric symptoms including apathy, low energy, irritability, insomnia, low energy, agitation, fatigue, concentration problems, aches and pains, weight changes, including weight loss or weight gain. Sound a lot like the symptoms of depression? The truth is the average American diet of fast food is low in vital nutrition that you need for your body to function correctly.

This isn’t to say that all depression is caused by bad nutrition but it’s certainly a contributing factor in many cases and poor nutrition will always make depression worse. Antidepressant drugs also do not correct nutritional problems. So if your depressed because of nutritional problems an antidepressant will only partially cover up the problem and you body still won’t function correctly.

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COBRA allows you to continue your healthcare coverage for up to 18 months. With COBRA certain people with a disability are allowed 11 additional months. And, even if you choose not to extend your health insurance coverage immediately after you leave your job, you have a grace period in which you can still enroll.

WHO QUALIFIES?
Former employees, spouses, former spouses and dependent children are eligible, regardless of their health. There are exceptions: You cannot get COBRA if your employer no longer offers health insurance to current employees. You’re also out of luck if the company goes out of business. Federal employees are covered by a law similar to COBRA.

HOW LONG DOES IT LAST?
COBRA provides up to 18 months of coverage from the time you leave your job or drop to part-time status. The coverage lasts up to 36 months after you no longer qualify as a dependent on an employee’s policy. That includes, for example, a child who reaches the cutoff age for coverage or a former spouse who gets a divorce from the employee.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Probably more than you expect. You have to pay the employee’s and the employer’s share of the premium — or an average of $12,680 for families this year — plus up to 2% in administrative costs. But legislation Congress passed earlier this year provides a 65% COBRA subsidy for up to nine months for people who lose their job between September 1, 2008, and December 31, 2009.

WHO SHOULD TAKE IT?
You can’t be rejected or charged more under COBRA because of your health, so it’s a good deal for people with medical conditions who might otherwise have a tough time finding affordable insurance. But if you’re healthy and live in a state with a competitive health-insurance market (which includes most states other than New York and New Jersey), you may find a better deal on your own.

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Its about economy of scale. When you sign up for healthcare coverage, you join a group of other people to combine your healthcare purchasing power. Your insurer covers the whole group, rather than individuals, so everyone shares the cost of staying healthy.-Stay Smart Stay Healthy

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More women receive privately paid for care at home for lingering health issues with more obtaining this care at older ages than men according to a new report from the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance. Nearly 60 percent of those receiving care were women with over 80 percent age 75 or older the study found.

“Most studies include home care services paid for by Medicare or Medicaid which do not reflect the usage for the vast majority of individuals who pay privately or have long-term care insurance coverage,” explains Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance. The independently conducted study examined the usage of home care services received by 1,000 men and women during a 1-week period in March 2010.

“The vast majority of both men and women home care recipients were over age 71 and most received care for three days a week or less,” Slome notes. The study found that 88.6 percent of users were women age 71 or older compared to 81.1 percent who were men. When it came to number of service days per week, two-thirds (66 %) of women utilized private in home care for three days a week or less. Just under half (49%) of men received care for three days or less. The remainder paid for four or more days.

Both men and women appear to pay for about the same number of hours of care per-day the study found. One fourth of women (24%) received only one hour of (daily) care, while three-fourths (76%) received care for seven hours or less. That compared to 73 percent of men. Costs for home health care vary by the type of services required as well as by location, experts note. “The average cost today is about $20 an hour,” Slome says. “Someone needing care three days a week for six hours a day is looking at a cost of between $20,000 and $25,000 annually which is why increasingly individuals purchase long-term care insurance with a home care benefit.”

The number of days care was required varied significantly by age. The study compared care usage among men and women age 64 with those age 82. “People do need long-term care services at younger ages typically as a result of accidents or illnesses,” Slome points out. The Association reports that the vast majority (90.7%) of long-term care insurance claims begin after age 70. According to the study, some 20 percent of women age 64 received care for a 7-day period while another 40 percent received care for 5-days during the weeklong period. Only 25.3 percent of women age 82 needed care for five days per-week or more.

Approximately 7.6 million individuals currently receive home care because of an acute illness, long-term health condition, permanent disability or terminal illness according to the National Association for Home Care & Hospice. Annual expenditures for home health care are $60 billion.

The comprehensive findings of the study will be published in the 2010 Long-Term Care Insurance Sourcebook available from the Association. A leading national home care service company that examined only individuals receiving care services paid for individually or reimbursed by their long-term care insurance conducted the study for the industry’s trade organization.

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COBRA allows you to continue your healthcare coverage for up to 18 months. With COBRA certain people with a disability are allowed 11 additional months. And, even if you choose not to extend your health insurance coverage immediately after you leave your job, you have a grace period in which you can still enroll.

Todays question: What is COBRA and how does it work?

The simple answer is: Its an opportunity to continue your employer-sponsored health insurance when you lose your job.So, COBRA isnt the venomous, yet charming snake.
Under federal law, COBRA gives you the right to temporarily continue purchasing the group health insurance you had at work when you leave your job due to a qualifying event.

COBRA stands for Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act – which explains why they call it COBRA.It applies if your company’s group health plan covers 20 or more workers, and in instances of a qualifying event. These events include having your hours cut, quitting your job, or being let go for a reason other than gross misconduct, like stealing. In general, COBRA allows you to continue your coverage for up to 18 months.

Certain people with a disability are allowed 11 additional months. And, even if you choose not to extend your coverage immediately after you leave your job, you have a grace period in which you can still enroll.

Lets say Gary loses his job due to cutbacks because nobody is buying his companys battery-operated flyswatters.

Because losing your job is a qualifying event, Gary can use COBRA to cover himself and his wife, provided she was covered in his health plan at work. Gary’s wife can continue to use COBRA if Gary becomes entitled to Medicare and gives up his group coverage, if there is a divorce or legal separation, or if he goes to that great golf course in the sky.

Dependent children who were covered by his plan can use COBRA in those same cases. They can also extend their coverage when they are no longer considered dependents.

When you use COBRA, you are responsible for paying 100% of the cost, plus an administrative fee. That means you pay what you paid as an employee, plus what your employer paid, plus 2%.

Individuals who are eligible for COBRA except those who left their jobs voluntarily may qualify for a 65% subsidy for nine months.

Lets say Gary is laid off from Global Flyswatters, Inc. between September 1, 2008, and December 31, 2009.

He is now qualified to get COBRA coverage for just 35% of the total cost even if he already declined it. That means, if Gary’s health insurance cost his company $300 a month, and cost Gary $200 a month, his total insurance cost was $500 a month.

Under the new stimulus plan, Gary would be eligible for COBRA for just $175 a month. He’s eligible as long as he isnt what they call a high-income individual that is, a single tax filer with an adjusted gross income of $125,000 or more, or a joint filer with income over $250,000. Not a problem for Gary. To sum it up, when you leave your job due to qualifying events, COBRA gives you the opportunity to continue purchasing the group health insurance you had for yourself and your dependents for a limited time when you leave your job due to a qualified event. Normally, you pay 102% of the cost. But with the new stimulus package, qualified individuals are entitled to a subsidy that covers 65% of the total.

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Los Angeles, CA — Individuals purchasing long-term care insurance in 2009 tended to be slightly older and selected less costly policy features according to the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (AALTCI) annual study. The organization’s research was based on an analysis of 155,000 individual placed policies.

“Clearly the economy is having an impact on when individuals start their long-term care planning and what benefit levels and policy options they select,” states Jesse Slome, executive director of the long-term care insurance industry organization. According to the annual study, 73.5 percent of buyers of individual policies were age 55 or older when they applied for coverage compared to 69 percent for the prior year (2008).

When it came to choosing benefit options, the study found a slight increase in the percentage of individuals selecting lower benefit levels and longer elimination (deductible) periods. Both contribute to lower premium costs. Some 43 percent of buyers selected initial daily benefit amounts of $149 or less; compared to 37.5 percent for the prior year. The vast majority (92.2 %) of buyers selected elimination periods of 90 days or longer; compared to 86 percent for the prior year.

“The most common benefit period selected remains three years,” Slome notes. Some 29.5 percent of buyers selected a policy designed to pay benefits for at least three years. The overwhelming majority added an inflation growth option that increased benefits each year. “The 5 percent compound growth factor, chosen by 47 percent of buyers, can double or triple the cost of the base plan of insurance protection,” Slome adds. “Buyers understand they are protecting future risk and saved in some areas but were willing to pay more for this important option.”

The Association added two new areas to the 2009 study; average premium paid and marital status at time of purchase. According to the findings, the average buyer between ages 45 and 54 paid $1,900 annually for their coverage. “There was a significant average price range between companies,” Slome notes, “from as low as $1,000 to over $3,200 for this age segment.”

The vast majority of buyers of long-term care insurance are married. According to the report, some 54 percent of purchases involved couples covering both lives. Nearly one-fourth (24%) involved couples or partners where only one individual was covered with 22 percent of policies purchased by single individuals.

The complete findings of the survey will be contained in the 2010 Long-Term Care Insurance Sourcebook published by the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance. For more information visit the organization’s Website: http://www.aaltci.org/.

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