Examining the State of the Long-Term Care Insurance Hybrid Market

Join us June 30 for a discussion about the current state of the LTCi hybrid market and its future. Cheri McCourt, assistant general counsel at Northwestern Mutual, will join partners Sandy Jones and Nolan Tully to share their insights on LTCi hybrid issues including:

  • A market shift towards brisk sales of hybrid products and away from stand-alone LTCi
  • Key features of LTCi hybrid products and related legal/regulatory considerations
  • The future of the LTCi hybrid market, including:
  • Can products be designed to reach the middle market?
  • Can this product fill the LTC funding gap or even reduce population-wide reliance on Medicaid for LTC?
  • Are there products or features that could enhance the usefulness of hybrid products by, for instance, introducing wellness incentives for policyholders?
  • Litigation risks to riders/hybrids connected with sales and product confusion

To learn more and to register click here.

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.

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Aging at Home is More Than Just a Passing Fad

An astounding 88% of Americans would prefer to receive any ongoing living assistance they need as they age at home or with loved ones, according to a new nationwide survey released this week by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Furthermore, 69% of participants reported they have done only a little or no planning for their long-term care needs, and 49% of participants over the age of 40 reported that they expect the majority of their long-term care costs will be paid by Medicare. Considering Medicare currently covers very limited long-term care costs, and the Medicare trust fund is at risk to become insolvent in the near future, 89% of participants reported that strengthening the Medicare trust fund should be a priority for the Biden administration and Congress.

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Liability Insurance Rates and Reduced Capacity Add Pressure to the Cost of Long-Term Care Services

The cost of long-term care services continued to rise during the pandemic, and many care providers expect their clients’ costs to increase significantly in 2021.1  A new Willis Towers Watson Insurance Marketplace Realities 2021 Spring Update (“Spring Update”) concludes that 2021 will continue to squeeze long-term and senior care providers from both sides—with general and professional liability insurance rates predicted to increase by 30% or more, and a persistence of 2020’s overall reduced liability capacities in the market for the long-term care provider sector.

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Colorado Bill Restricting Insurers’ Use of External Data and Algorithms Passes First Hurdle

Recently, long-term care insurers have focused a substantial investment of resources in evaluating and assessing the feasibility of wellness programs aimed at keeping policyholders healthier and at home as they age. This goal meets the stated desires of almost all policyholders, and also delays and/or lessens the severity of any long term care insurance claims that policyholders might be eligible for. Many of these wellness programs utilize predictive analytics of various types, including algorithmic data analysis, predictive models and artificial intelligence. Regulators and lawmakers have been focused on these types of Insurtech offerings, and have been particularly attentive to potential discrimination issues that might arise.

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LTC Task Force Updates From NAIC Spring Meeting

During the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Spring Conference last week, the NAIC LTC Task Force met to discuss various topics and we wanted to share a summary of the discussion:

The bulk of the meeting was the Task Force receiving an update from each of its subgroups:

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2021 ILTCI Conference

Faegre Drinker is a proud sponsor of the upcoming Intercompany Long-Term Care Insurance Conference Association (ILTCI) virtual event. The conference, the largest multidisciplinary long-term care conference in the U.S., kicks off Tuesday, April 13 with a general session followed by sessions every Tuesday and Thursday through April 29.

Several of our insurance professionals, along with many other LTCi community insiders, will be speaking this year on topics ranging from litigation, to aging in place, to rate increase innovations.  Here is a brief look at the panels we will be joining:

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