Description: A defense of the CLASS Act from the perspective of the private long term care insurance industry.

Description: The editor discusses the importance of purchasing a long-term care insurance policy. He also presents highlights of the articles contained in the issue.

Description: Stories about the good that LTC policies do for some insured.

Description: At the 2012 ILTCI Conference in Las Vegas, a group of Long-term Care Industry professionals decided we wanted to do something a little bit different. We wanted the audience of our session, "Underwriting and Claims: From the Outside Looking In", to hear from the people who matter most to the LTC industry………our constituents. And we wanted the audience to have the opportunity to discuss issues with these constituents in an open, upfront format.

Description: Remarks on the attitudes underlying the stalling of health care reform legislation.

Description: Update on the Long Term Care Section activities, including new council members, research, and educating policymakers, the public, and other industry associations on developments in health care regulation.

Description: Discussion of the implications of the newly unveiled health care reform proposal by Senator Baucus. Key issues include abandonment of the CLASS Act, inclusion of LTC in cafeteria plans, funding and tax concerns, individual mandate, privacy concerns, play-or-pay employer mandate, impact on Medicare and Medicaid, and gridlock in the legislative finalization process.

Description: State regulators' review of predominant LTC Risks after review of year-end AG51 reports.

Description: The Long-Term Care Insurance market is evolving. Parallels can be drawn between the current product cycle of standalone LTCI and past experiences of other insurance products. Over the last decade, the LTCI market has shifted to include a greater presence of non-standalone LTC insurance. Individual LTCI sales have been on the decline, while life-LTCI combination products have been on the rise. Because of this, many perceive that the life-combination products are taking over the LTCI market and replacing standalone LTC insurance. While life-combination products meet the LTC needs for policyholders, they may not be a good fit for all consumers in this market.

Description: The chairperson discusses the health of the long term care industry in four key areas: investment, legitimacy, execution, and promotion.