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There has been an increasing interest in robot caregivers in recent years, especially in countries like Japan that have a shortage of human caregivers. There is a new movie out that takes place in the mid term future about what the implications might be - read the review hear.
Robot and Frank Shows Softer Side of Robo-Helpers at Sundance | Underwire | Wired.com.
What do you think? Should planning for long-term care incorporate the fact that help might take a robotic form as well?
January 26, 2012 at 09:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Article from the Washington Post and Kaiser Health News about long-term care insurance. I really good article that discusses some of the decisions that people have to make before they buy a policy.
Long-term-care insurance offers protection, but it’s not right for everyone - The Washington Post.
January 25, 2012 at 09:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Over the past few months, the Chicago Tribune has been running a series of reports on nursing home abuses in Illinois. The stories focused on the fact that Illinois was shifting the burden of paying for care of the mentally ill and some criminals by choosing to place them in nursing homes, which are substantially financed by Medicaid (a federal program)
After horrific stories discussing violent assaults on residents and caregivers, the Illinois Attorney General started doing more inspections and sweeps of nursing facilities to try and make the facilities safer. One series of sweeps identified over 100 nursing home residents with active arrest warrants - using the nursing homes as safe houses!
The good news is that the sweeps and updated inspections (mandated by law) have helped decrease the abuse. The bad news is that such oversight is expensive, and Illinois is chronically short of money.
The answer? A nursing home bed tax of $6.07 per resident per day. The money raised will help pay for the reforms. The bed tax will be returned to nursing homes via Medicaid, so those nursing homes with fewer Medicaid patients will bear the brunt of tax. A complete article is below.
New funds aimed at undoing legacy of violence in Illinois nursing homes - chicagotribune.com.
What do you think? Will continued cost shifting mean a future of less mixed pay (private/medicaid) facilities?
January 24, 2012 at 03:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
John Hancock recently released the results of a consumer survey on long-term care planning. The findings show many people know it is important to plan for care, but think long-term care insurance might be too expensive and the current economy is holding them back.
You can download the survey summary below.
Download John Hancock LTC Survey
What do you think?
January 20, 2012 at 08:00 PM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
Looking to mitigate risk in your life? Talk to an actuary. The Society of Actuaries has just published a retirement planning brochure entitled "Taking the long-term care journey". Check it out!
http://www.soa.org/files/pdf/research-pen-long-term-care.pdf
January 19, 2012 at 09:22 AM in Advice Articles About Planning | Permalink | Comments (0)
Great article from a Financial Planner about planning for long-term care costs.
January 17, 2012 at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Article that focuses on caregiver stress.
January 17, 2012 at 08:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
BACKGROUND: On our January 19 Conference Call, carrier experts will discuss the LTCi claims process.
January 10, 2012 at 01:16 PM in Monthly Poll | Permalink | Comments (1)
This investigative report by CBS discusses claim problems with Bankers Life and Casualty and unfortunately lumps in other carriers with a broad brush. Our organization, LTCI Partners, has never distributed Banker's Life policies so we have not seen this issues. We have also not seen these types of issues from other companies. Have you had problems? Comment below:
January 06, 2012 at 09:03 AM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (2)
January 04, 2012 at 03:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
