Description: Projecting Policy Persistency by Bruce Stahl from Long-Term Care Newsletter, September 2004, Issue No. 12.

Description: Recently completed experience and research studies from the Society of Actuaries.

Description: Impaired annuities - a niche product marketed to people at the “at-need” edge of long-term care and has the potential to instruct in bridging the gap for the products now being marketed to people “pre-need.” From Long-Term Care, Dec 2003, Issue No. 10

Description: Cognitive tests used in the long-term care insurance industry differ in cognitive domains tested, time required for testing, ease of test administration, sensitivity and specificity. Recently, new approaches to scoring or testing have improved test utility for screening for cognitive impairment.

Description: The 5th Annual Inter-Company LTCI conference was a tremendous opportunity for the thought leaders in our industry to come together and exchange information on current claims practices.

Description: Bringing managed care concepts into LTC claims management could benefit insurers, policyholders, and providers. This article outlines the case for doing so, and articulates the benefits to each stakeholder in the LTC claims process.

Description: The Upside to Higher Persistency in LTC Insurance—Effects of Anti-Selection After Policy Issue By John L. Timmerberg from Long-Term Care Newsletter, September 2004, Issue No. 12.

Description: For establishing the ongoing adequacy of claim reserves for blocks of long-term care insurance, retro testing is a blunt tool, the results of which are not conclusive. Claim reserve retro tests should be reviewed by claim duration, include the impact of interest consistently, and include updated assumptions that can have an impact on claim termination rates or other factors. The new NAIC LTC Experience Reporting Forms estimated to arrive for reporting year 2008 will help modernize LTCI retro tests, providing additional accuracy and standardization. Actuaries should not wait for these forms, but rather ensure that any claim reserve analysis moves beyond a basic calendar year retro test.

Description: To increase awareness of current research, cognitive treatments, brain exercise programs and overall long-term care, we will be adding a regular feature to the LTC Section newsletter, tentatively called the “Cognitive Corner.” This feature will provide a place to share existing academic research and health-related outcomes related to cognitive factors. It is the hope that this information will spur thought-provoking discussions and debates that impact your work regarding these hypotheses.

Description: Welcome to the first articles written for the Underwriting Network appearing in the newsletter. At the 5th Annual Inter-Company LTCI Conference, Dr. William Rodman Shankle and Dr. James M. Jacobson gave us a fresh look at cognitive testing.