Tuesday, 19 May 2020

DIAM: Speaking of Awareness

Our friend Bernie Flatters has some follow up questions:

"How old is the delivery driver? And what is the chance that she will qualify for SSI? Will her insurance benefits be reduced by SSI benefits? Maybe there should be an insurance product that covers day one until SSI benefits kick in. And maybe it pays for a high power attorney to argue her case."

In the example in that initial post, we posited a 40 year old applicant. The real life example we used in a subsequent post is actually a bit older (not that it's really all that relevant).

I presume that the dearth of zero-day elimination period individual DI plans is cost; that is, carriers can make the numbers work on short term group plans because of the much shorter benefit period (6 months) and lower benefit limits (usually capped at 60%, versus 65% or even 70% for individuals)..

I presume the "high power attorney" was a throwaway line.

So, not a lot there, but his Social Security Security (SSDI) questions are spot on, and I'd like to address those:

The odds of this client qualifying for SSDI would depend, of course, on the nature of her disability:

"The law defines disability as the inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity (SGA) by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment(s) which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months."

So in our example, we postulated that her most likely cause of disability would be some kind of accidental injury (such as dropping a keg on her foot, or straining her neck or back). It's unlikely that these would result in death, but perhaps might last a year (or more).

Let's assume the latter, and move on:

"Social Security disability applications face an overwhelming 70% denial rate upon initial evaluation."

And it gets better (for values of "better")::

"At the initial stage, a Social Security Disability claim may take an average of just over three months to process. Reconsiderations make take another two months of processing time, while the wait for a hearing date in front of a judge can take more than two years." [emphasis added]

And yes, the plan I quoted is integrated with SSDI, which helps to keep the premium down some. I don't see this as a problem, since it's unlikely that the benefit period would outlast the actual disbursement of SSDI funds.

So, once again, Thank You, BF, for your great questions!


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Monday, 18 May 2020

Positive Carrier Tricks

From our friends at OneAmerica Life (one of our go-to Long Term Care insurance vendors):

"Grace period extended through July 1 for premium payments"

Nice!

But wait, there's more:

"We understand that some policyowners may currently be struggling to pay their premiums on time. To meet this immediate need, OneAmerica has again automatically extended the grace period on all individual life insurance coverage through July 1, 2020."

They also address somne other issues that we've also been wondering about:

"If after July 1, the policyowner’s resident state has not lifted the extended grace period, OneAmerica will consider the extended grace period on a state-by-state basis by policyowner’s resident state."

This is important, since we as individuals really don't have much (any?) say in that decision.

As with the auto insurance carriers and their various discount programs, I expect other long term care (and life insurance) carriers to do the same.

Which, of course, begs the question: what about health insurance?

#CanOfWorms


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Friday, 15 May 2020

Travel Medical vs CV-19

Regular readers will recall that most health insurance stops at the border, which is why so many folks opt to purchase travel medical plans:

"Travel Medical policies are for folks traveling outside the US ... So for cruises or trips to Europe, or that Cancun get-away, savvy folks purchase plans to help with any medical issues (usually emergencies) which may arise."

Which is a great idea.

But what happens when you're in, say, Barcelona when the Wuhan Flu Pandemic hits, and now you're stuck there [TBF: lots worse places to be]? Well, our friend Peter S at Global Underwriters told me recently that, even though they aren't selling many new plans to folks choosing to travel right now, they're seeing a big upsurge in folks re-upping their coverage since they can't get back home.

And this works both ways: US nationals stuck overseas, and foreign nationals stuck here.

So now you know....


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Thursday, 14 May 2020

LTCi: The New Normal

According to The Gray Lady, about a third of all CV-19 deaths have occurred in nursing homes:

"While just 11 percent of the country’s cases have occurred in long-term care facilities, deaths related to Covid-19 in these facilities account for more than a third of the country’s pandemic fatalities."

This makes sense, of course; these are pretty much the most vulnerable among us, kept in a relatively small,confined environment.

Heck, even now, politicos know enough to move their own parents out of these places:

"Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine’s mother moved out of a personal care home with the health secretary’s help, after Levine ordered all nursing homes and long-term facilities in the state to accept coronavirus patients from hospitals."

#SomeAreMoreEqualThanOthers, one supposes.

 

So what does this have to do with Long Term Care insurance?

Well as FoIB (and LTCi Guru) Randy G explains, the impact of this is enormous:

Knowing that most (all) nursing homes have been essentially on lock-down for the past two-plus months, and deaths are still mounting at them, it makes sense that, going forward, even more folks will opt for in-home care. Which is great for places like Visiting Angels and the like, but who pays for this?

If your immediate response was Medicaid, well, think again:

"[B]ecause most individuals would rather be cared for at home and home care is cheaper, all 50 states now have Medicaid programs that offer at least some home care."

The key word here is some, and as states are being saddled with more and more of the Medicaid financial burden, look for those to become even more curtailed. And it's also important to understand just what in-home services are being covered:

"Medicaid home care services are typically provided through home- and community-based services "waiver" programs."

Yikes.

And this is where a properly constructed Long Term Care Insurance plan comes in: one that covers both facility and in-home care (which is pretty much standard now) can offer peace of mind (and choice!). If you've been putting off looking at a plan, there are still a lot of choices available (and yes, that includes you folks over 65).

Oh, and if you think we're exaggerating about the impact of this situation on the future of nursing homes, Randy G also sent along this:

"Someday, most of us will return to life before COVID-19. Nursing homes will not ... Operators are being crushed by higher costs and shrinking revenues."

But wait, there's more:

"Even before COVID-19, the mixed business model of nursing homes was extremely challenging for all but the most efficient providers ... Some of those short-term challenges may fade over time. But some will not."

#SomethingToConsider


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Wednesday, 13 May 2020

This Doesn't Look Like Kansas, Toto

Welcome to the world of COVID-19 where up is down and right is wrong.

A world where tattoo's are essential but elective medical and dental procedures are not.

And restaurants are allowed to serve food but only for take-out. Your prepaid meal is in a plastic bag delivered by a person in a mask and gloves who places it in your trunk.

No checking until you get home where your hamburger and fries miraculously transformed into a fish sandwich with onion rings.

My wife and I do not eat out that often. That choice preceded COVID-19. But one of our favorite restaurants was always a choice for romantic dining on special occasions.

That was then. This is now.

Restaurant patrons are not allowed to enter until they have been scanned to see if they have a temperature.  At this point they are using an infrared scanner vs the more reliable rectal probe. As long as they are above room temp but below 100.4 they are allowed to advance to the next station. 

Hand sanitizing is in order, but no foot washing.

Guests are greeted by a staff member wearing a surgical mask and medical exam gloves. The menu is disposable, one time use only.

Tables are now separated by non-bulletproof Plexiglass. Eating utensils are wrapped in paper. At least for now they are stainless, not plastic.

Seating is reduced and for now can only operate at 25% of max capacity.

Sounds like a real mood killer. The only thing worse would Hannibal Lecter explaining the menu.

Restaurants that CHOOSE to open have a list of 39 rules that must be followed.

In Georgia it is easier to get a tattoo than to enjoy a meal at a nice restaurant.

Oh. What. Fun.

Chow!


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Another DIAM Post

In the  comments on a recent Disability Insurance Awareness Month post, FoIB Bernie Flatters made a most cromulent point:

"I have looked at disability insurance and it "feels" very expensive compared to the value. I wish I could get over this. When I think of the benefits of this type of insurance, I think about not being able to work and having to stay home for days, weeks, months while I recuperate."

And indeed, DI poses quite the conundrum: on the one hand, unlike life insurance, there's no guarantee that one will ever actually become disabled. And, as we pointed out the other day, these plans "are one of the two most complicated insurance products in our portfolio."

So here's how I often help folks get over that hump, and I'll use Monday's example to illustrate:

To review, we have a delivery truck driver in good health (other than tobacco use, which impacts her rate substantially). The plan we quoted would provide $3,400 a month (or just shy of $41,000 a year, tax-free), for up to two years. Her annual salary is $60,00.

In Scenario 1 (no insurance), she nets about $45,00 a year while working, and $0 per year if she's disabled and unable to work.

In Scenario 2, she spends about 6% of her take-home pay ($231/month) in premiums. So, in this case, she clears about $42,000 a year while working, or about $41,000 a year if she's disabled.

That help?


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Tuesday, 12 May 2020

First TeleMed, Now TeleEd

Insurance agents mist take a set number of Continuing Education courses, generally over a multi-year period. Mostly this is in-person, but web-based learning has really taken off the past few years. I've so far resisted, because I enjoy the interaction and personal touch. My hands down favorite instructor (and this includes myself, as well) is Becky E, who runs a local remediation company. This may sound counter-intuitive, since I'm a life/health guy, but I really enjoy learning about other sides of the business, and Becky is such a natural-born and enthusiastic teacher.

I had been signed up for a couple of her classes this Spring, but the Wuhan Flu caused her to re-imagine them as Zoom meetings. As a rule, I don't Zoom, but this sounded like an interesting experience, so I signed up for her ID Theft course, which I took last week.

The content, as usual, was terrific (I always learn something new in her classes), and she did a great job of teaching it (of course). But just as with my recent teledoc appointment, I was underwhelmed with the whole experience. For one thing, even with the chat feature (which allowed for at least some interaction), there was just solemnizing missing. Also, and this may well be long-established, the state has made this form of education delivery unnecessarily burdensome:

For example, in-person classes require only that one show up and stay for the class; there is no requirement that one actually pay attention (now, it would be rude not to, but there's no rule requiring that). Also, one signs in and out of the class only at the beginning and end; there is no requirement to sign in and out at each 10 minute break.

How does this differ under the TeleCE model?

Well, each hour one is required to respond to 3 polling questions (and these have noting to do with the course, only to prove that you're still there). And one must sign out at each break, and then back in when class resumes. Yes, these are little things, but one gets to sense that the state, in its infinite wisdom, has decided to be as petty a possible in permitting us proles to use this advanced, almost magical technology.

Anyway, Becky and Co did their usual terrific job, especially impressive given the circumstances. As for moi, pretty sure I've now participated on both first, and my last, TeleEd course.


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