Long Term Care insurance Archives - Page 15 of 34 - Long Term Care Insurance Expert | Honey Leveen

Denial Antidotes

December 22, 2014 by Honey Leveen Leave a Comment

The majority of us deny the fact that the odds we will need long-term care (LTC) are quite high (70% at age 65, according to www.longtermcare.gov). More importantly, we deny the potentially catastrophic consequences caused by needing LTC without being prepared.

Here are some denial-busting tools for the ones you care about, but who refuse to have a conversation about responsible, reasonable LTC planning now, while they are able to qualify for LTC insurance and find good rates.

Give your loved one this special, eight question LTC IQ Quiz.

Watch this brief video of Meryl Comer, graphically describing the havoc being unprepared for LTC caused:

www./resources will link you to other highly informative sites like My Life. My Family, The Motley Fool, and Own Your Future Texas.

Knowledge is power. Failure to plan is planning to fail.

Stupid is as Stupid Does

December 18, 2014 by Honey Leveen Leave a Comment

In my prior blog we learned about denial. The most common form of denial is implicatory denial. Here, the facts are not denied or re-interpreted, but instead the psychological, economic, political, physical or moral implications that conventionally follow from those facts are denied or ignored.

I see this with people’s refusal to plan responsibly for long-term care (LTC) all the time.

In other words, even though someone will accept the fact that at age of 65 and beyond, there’s a 70% chance that any of us will need long-term care, these deniers somehow have the inside track. People with implicatory denial are aware of these odds, but they refuse to believe this could happen to them. In other words, they’re psychic about this and can see the future. Everyone else will need LTC, but they (including their spouses) won’t.

An article in yesterday’s Los Angeles Times amused me. Its title is “Proved at last: Men really are idiots”. Of the 318 stunts that have qualified for Darwin Awards, 88.7% were done by men (Darwin Awards: awards for the stupidest, most dangerous, foolhardy stunts and activities). This correlates with what I see men doing about responsible LTC planning.

I’ve compared notes with many colleagues about this particular type of denial, and our experiences are similar. For some reason, women “get it” about the need for responsible LTC planning a lot more often than men. Most of the time, women instigate a conversation about LTC insurance with their husbands. Often, the husband puts the kibosh on the conversation. After all, he is psychic and has the inside track. He and his wife won’t need LTC. Everyone else will.

Denial is a Curious Beast

December 15, 2014 by Honey Leveen Leave a Comment

Refusal to plan for long-term care and refusal to believe manmade activities are creating global warming are caused by the same thing. What a revelation to me! A book called Living in Denial, by Kari Marie Norgaard examines the causes of climate change denial.

Here’s an essay about Dr. Norgaard’s book. I love the fact that her book defines the three different types of denial:

Literal denial. This is the outright refusal to believe the facts and to dispute the consensus science, and even to deny the existence of a scientific consensus. Many so-called “climate skeptics” fit into this category.
Interpretive denial. This involves not disputing the underlying reality, but using euphemisms and framing to distort meaning. An example of this kind of denial might be the Government of Alberta claiming that it is improving emissions intensity (emissions per barrel) from the oil sands, while absolute emissions of CO2 are increasing rapidly due to growing bitumen production.
Implicatory denial. Here, the facts are not denied or re-interpreted, but instead “the psychological, political or moral implications that conventionally follow” from those facts are denied or ignored. Implicatory deniers accept the reality of human-caused climate change, but they live their lives as if the problem was little to do with them. This variety of denial is the main focus of the book. Most of us who live at a high standard of living in developed countries are guilty to some degree of implicatory denial.

These are exactly the same denial behaviors I see all the time!

For 25 years I’ve had well-educated, affluent friends and acquaintances who like, respect, and trust me, make excuses to not talk with me about reasonable, responsible long-term care planning. Intellectually, these people know better. They are making sound decisions in other areas of their lives, but they refuse to accept the fact that after age 65, they might be one of the 70% of us are going to need some sort of long-term care.

There’s little about denial that makes sense to me.

Undeniable Proof That LTCi Is Good for America!

November 24, 2014 by Honey Leveen Leave a Comment

A report proving how and why long-term care insurance (LTCi) helps all of us and our country was just published. LifePlans conducted the study over a period of twelve years. It was commissioned by America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP).

Here’s background on the report.

The report shows that that for LTCi policyholders:

A typical 60-year old LTCi policyholder would pay $188/month in premium for the same amount of care they would otherwise have to save $1,666/month, for 22 years, for.
Roughly 22 years of premium payments would be returned after only five months of collecting from the average LTCi policy.
The majority (97.6%) of all LTCi claims get paid. My experience has been that the only reasons LTCi claims are not paid are due to incomplete claim paperwork or no true need.
Most LTCi claimants agree that LTCi enhances access and flexibility as they seek to obtain to the services of their choice.
LTCi owners receive on average 35% more hours of care than those without, and their care is also more likely to address their needs.
The LTCi industry currently serves 7.4 million policyholders and is expected to pay out roughly $700 billion in claims over the life of those policies.

For Family Caregivers, the report shows:

Individuals caring for family members with LTCi are nearly twice as likely to be able to continue working as when there is no LTCi.
Caregivers of LTCi claimants experience less stress finding appropriate services for their loved ones.
LTCi enables family members to spend less time on hands-on care and more on social interaction and companionship, which leads to better experiences and less stress.

Why the report proves that LTCi is good for America:

Because LTCi covers a majority of LTC costs, insureds are not forced to depend on Medicaid.
Between 21 and 31% of insured nursing home residents would spend down to qualify for Medicaid if they did not own LTCi. Fewer than 5 percent of LTCi policyholders spend down to Medicaid.
Today’s 7.4 million current LTCi policyholders are expected to save the Medicaid program about $50 billion over their lifetimes. Annualized Medicaid savings per in-force policy are about $334.

The graphics in the report are great. They are straightforward and easy to understand, as is the report itself. If you would like to receive a copy of the entire report, email me at honey@honeyleveen.com.

“Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me”: See it!

November 17, 2014 by Honey Leveen Leave a Comment

Google “Glen Campbell” and you will find hundreds of links to stories about this famous and beloved entertainer and his struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease. A documentary called “Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me” is opening across the country during October and November 2014, to very favorable reviews. Click here to see a film trailer.

Jim and I just saw the film on its opening day here in Houston. We not only enjoyed it, but we also highly recommend that you see the film. If you miss it, you should be able to find it on Amazon or as part of your Netflix subscription.

Although the film is on a very tough subject, it is thoroughly entertaining. It is unabashedly graphic and candid. Mr. Campbell’s ordeal is described and shown, but not ruminated on. As this Variety story states, laughter outweighs tears in the film.

It is very clear to me that Mr. Campbell and his large, well-functioning, loving, courageous family are sharing their experience to help educate and warn people to plan for long-term care, due to the impending Alzheimer’s epidemic.

The family has been accused of exploiting Mr. Campbell’s condition for personal gain. How ridiculous! They already have huge wealth, and I doubt that the film will generate much money. Even though it is excellent, it’s no blockbuster.

In one of the interviews I watched (minute 3.20), Mrs. Campbell says Mr. Campbell needed not one, but two caregivers at a time to help with lesser-known Alzheimer’s symptoms, such as agitation, nightmares and hallucinations. She says that he has now progressed to Stage 6 and lives in an Alzheimer’s specific facility.

None of the articles I read or interviews I watched disclosed the cost of Mr. Campbell’s care. It is undoubtedly exorbitant. It is also obvious to me, and I will bet my entire career on this, that he does not own long-term care insurance (LTCi). I am sure that if he owned LTCi, it would have been mentioned and praised.

Yet Mrs. Campbell appears to be composed and shows few or no signs of caregiver stress. She and her children are present and involved with her husband’s care, but not shackled to his side. Good outcomes under the circumstances described, are simply a matter of having enough money. Google Glen Campbell net worth to discover he is worth $50 million. This family has so much money that the cost of giving Mr. Campbell the very best possible care is of little consequence to them.

Few of us are as wealthy as the Campbells. If we have need and want to access high quality long-term care and all the dignity associated with it, without damaging our family or finances, there is no other option than LTCi ownership.

Request a Free, No-Obligation LTCi Quote

Denial Antidotes

Stupid is as Stupid Does

Denial is a Curious Beast

Undeniable Proof That LTCi Is Good for America!

“Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me”: See it!

From My Blog

Podcast Illuminates LTC Need

LTCI is Magical at Time of Need!

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