From time to time, colleagues in our larger Insurance practice, along with other non-insurance-related practices, write on issues that we feel are important enough to highlight on this blog. Emerging attention to Artificial Intelligence (AI) by lawmakers and regulators alike is one such issue. Among the topics highlighted in Faegre Drinker’s latest Artificial Intelligence Briefing is the Collaboration Forum on Algorithmic Bias held during NAIC’s Summer Annual meeting that featured various presentations, including one from our own Scott Kosnoff on how companies can mitigate their regulatory, litigation and reputation risk through AI risk management and governance.
Author: Editorial Board
ThinkAdvisor Catches Up With New York Life’s Jeff Beligotti
ThinkAdvisor recently talked to New York Life’s Jeff Beligotti, Vice President and Head of Long-Term Care Solutions, about his views on the state of long-term care insurance and the long-term care sector generally.
In the interview, Jeff notes that “this is an exciting time to be in the long-term care space,” and offers perspectives on how financial professionals can support long-term care planning as well as how standalone LTCi can complement emerging federal and state-level LTCi programs.
Read the full ThinkAdvisor article.
2022 ILTCI Conference
Faegre Drinker is proud to sponsor The Intercompany Long-Term Care Insurance Conference to be held March 20-23 at the Raleigh Convention Center. The conference is the largest multidisciplinary long-term care conference in the U.S. and will include dozens of educational sessions featuring industry thought leaders and LTCI community insiders.
Here is a brief look at the panels that will include members of our Team, with topics ranging from litigation, to aging in place, to rate increase innovations:
AALTCI Launching Long-Term Care Insurance Claims Resource Center
According to a recent survey from The American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (AALTCI), the nation’s long-term care insurance companies paid out more than $12 billion in claims benefits in 2021. That represents a $700 million increase over 2020, and a $2 billion increase since 2018.
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Louisiana Secures Temporary Injunction in Connection with the SHIP Rehabilitation Plan
Senior Health Insurance Company of Pennsylvania (“SHIP”) was placed in rehabilitation in Pennsylvania in January 2020. On August 24, 2021, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania approved the Rehabilitation Plan (the “Plan”), which includes a nationwide premium increase and several benefit modification options that will be presented to policyholders to avoid or mitigate the rate increase. The Plan includes an opt-out for state regulators who elect to review the proposed rate increase, but if an opt-out state does not approve the full rate increase the options available to policyholders of policies issued in that state would not include an option for the policyholder to retain the full benefit amounts set forth in their policy. Because of the novel strategy to pursue a rate increase/benefit modification through the rehabilitation court, the Plan has proven to be controversial. For example, the chief insurance regulators in Massachusetts, Maine and Washington have filed an appeal in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to challenge and block the Plan (and a group of 27 other state insurance regulators filed an amicus brief in support of this challenge). The Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently denied an application for a stay of the approval of the Plan while the appeal is pending.
COVID-19 Driving Insurance Sales Over the Past Year
It should come as no surprise that the COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the biggest, if not the biggest factors driving the insurance market over the last year and a half.
More than half (54%) of Americans said that COVID-19 has made them more anxious about dying early, becoming disabled or needing long-term care (LTC), according to a new survey from the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT).* Among those surveyed who said they acquired new insurance policies since March 2020, 42% said the COVID-19 pandemic was a factor while other reasons included wanting to provide for their family (36%), a major life event (29%) and new concerns about potential future disability or LTC needs (27%).
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Long-Term Care Insurance Policy Sales Declined in 2020
The number of people who purchased traditional long-term care insurance policies last year dropped significantly compared to previous years, based on new figures released by the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (AALTCI).
AALTCI reports that at its peak in 2000-2001, sales of traditional LTCi policies soared to more than 700,000. Numbers have fallen over the last two decades and hit their lowest point in 2020 with just 49,000 policies sold. AALTCI says while the need for LTCi hasn’t changed, “more people are opting for a linked-benefit product such as a life insurance policy that can also pay long-term care benefits.”
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Interest in Hybrid Life-LTC Products Increases Due in Part to COVID-19 Pandemic
The pandemic shifted the way a lot of Americans view long-term care and insurance according to a new LIMRA survey.* LIMRA says more than a quarter (26%) of the people it surveyed say they are “extremely or very likely” to consider a combination/hybrid life product when shopping for insurance (a life policy with an LTCi component). In 2019, that number was just 17%. More than a third (36%) said they were “somewhat likely” to consider it.
Continue reading “Interest in Hybrid Life-LTC Products Increases Due in Part to COVID-19 Pandemic”