Business, Free News Articles, Long Term Care

Leigh Geramanis-Arnold Named Chief Washington DC Correspondent at LTC NEWS

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- LTC NEWS, LLC, publishers of website www.ltcnews.com, has named Leigh Geramanis-Arnold as Chief Washington Correspondent. Formed in July 2015, LTC NEWS is an online resource for long-term care planning, aging, caregiving, health, and retirement issues to help consumers plan for and better understand the family and financial impact of aging.

Arnold is an award-winning medical reporter, TV news producer, and communications consultant. Arnold honed her craft reporting medical news in the shadows of the Mayo Clinic at KTTC-TV, Rochester, Minnesota, where she interviewed countless physicians and researchers on cutting-edge medicine.

Arnold also served as Senior Communications Consultant for the research firm Frank N. Magid Associates, in addition to working for several TV news stations in the Midwest as News Director and Assignments Editor. She has also worked in corporate communications for Trinity Regional Health System, based in Rock Island, Illinois (now Unity Point). She is a graduate of Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.

"Americans are focused on the consequences of health and aging. They are looking for accurate information to prepare their families and finances for future aging issues or deal with a current crisis with a loved one. Leigh's unique experiences will help her cover the campaigns, the White House, and Congress with a laser beam focus on these topics. Her experience will well serve the readers of LTC NEWS," said Matt McCann, LTC NEWS publisher.

Press releases or story ideas can be emailed to newsroom@ltcnews.com

Learn more about LTC NEWS at: https://www.ltcnews.com/

Related link: https://www.ltcnews.com/

This news story was published by the Neotrope® News Network - all rights reserved.

Free News Articles, General Editorial, Insurance, Long Term Care

A Prime Time to Plan for Long-Term Care Is After Arranging It for Someone Else, says ACSIA Partners

KIRKLAND, Wash. -- Have you been called upon to arrange care for an aging parent or other loved one? If so, "it can be a blessing in disguise," says Denise Gott, CEO of ACSIA Partners, one of the nation's largest long-term care insurance agencies. "It can inspire you to plan ahead for your own care, without delay."

"In our experience," Gott says, "most Americans plan for their own care late in the game, when affordable insurance is no longer an option. But it doesn't have to be that way."

According to industry estimates, only about 10 percent of those who could benefit from LTC insurance have policies. Why? "The main reason is that busy younger people are preoccupied with family and career. Their future care needs just aren't a priority, so they put off thinking about it," Gott explains.

However, when they're called upon to plan care for someone else, they're forced to think about it. "The experience can be eye-opening and motivational. At a visceral level, they see and feel the need to plan for themselves. The trick is to act before the feeling fades."

Helping someone else secure long-term care generally happens in one's 40's, 50's or 60's, an opportune time for appreciating two vital facts:

(1) The majority of older people eventually need help with basic tasks of everyday existence. These include "activities of daily living" (ADLs) such as bathing, dressing, using the toilet, transferring (to or from bed or chair), caring for incontinence, and eating.

And these tasks also include "instrumental activities of daily living" (IADLs) such as housework, managing money, taking medication, preparing and cleaning up after meals, shopping for groceries or clothes, using the telephone or other communication devices, caring for pets, and responding to emergency alerts such as fire alarms.

(2) Care options and costs vary widely. Long-term care may be supplied by family members and/or paid professionals. Family members generally charge nothing, but if helping out impacts their jobs, their lost income may run into the tens of thousands.

Care services supplied by professionals fall into four main categories (average national costs per year shown in parentheses):
* Adult day health care ($17,680),
* Home health care ($45,760),
* Assisted living facility care ($43,539), and
* Nursing home care ($82,125 for semi-private room).
(Data from the Genworth Cost of Care Survey.)

"When you help Mom or Dad get care, these facts become crystal clear," says Gott. "You see what a difference early action can make."

LTC insurance or another funding instrument can -
* Assure you're protected at a lower rate than older, less healthy applicants.
* Protect your retirement assets.
* Give you greater control over your lifestyle when receiving care (staying in your own home versus a facility, for example).
* Put less of a burden on family members.

"We have state-certified agents throughout the U.S.," says Gott. "They are glad to walk anyone through these options, in person or by phone."

ACSIA Partners LLC -- https://www.acsiapartners.com/ -- is one of America's largest and most experienced long-term care insurance agencies serving all states.

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Business, Free News Articles, Insurance

ACSIA Partners Seeks 150 New Agents to Serve Growing Segments of Its Long-Term Care Planning Business

KIRKLAND, Wash. -- The long-term care insurance market seems to be in turmoil thanks to rate increases, waning consumer demand, and carriers exiting the business. Pessimism prevails, but not for ACSIA Partners, one of America's largest long-term care insurance agencies. The company is quite bullish, in fact. "We're looking for 150 new agents," says Denise Gott, CEO. "We need them right now to handle current need and projected demand." What's going on?

The company is not immune to the industry turmoil. "Our traditional business, individual LTC insurance, has temporarily levelled off," she says, "but it's still substantial and continuing; and two new segments are surging: hybrid care solutions and worksite plans."

Hybrid solutions are annuities or life insurance policies with long-term care riders. They are based on tangible assets that may be tapped to pay for care when needed. This has several advantages that make them attractive buys:
* Premiums can never increase.
* Benefits cannot change.
* Funds not used for long-term care go to beneficiaries tax-free.

Also, "It's easy to add a care rider to instruments the client needs anyway, like a life policy or annuity," says Gott.

Worksite plans are group or multi-life plans that offer long-term care protection as an employee benefit. "They're in demand because they appeal to both the company and the employee," says Gott.
* The plans bolster employee effectiveness and earning power. In the absence of LTC plans, long term care issues cost American industry $29 billion annually in lost productivity, according to a study by the MetLife Mature Market Institute. And employees jeopardize their income when they have to assume care duties.
* The plans offer multiple tax benefits. Premiums can be 100% tax-deductible to a business. For employees, premiums are not considered income, and the benefits received are generally tax-free.
* Economies of scale simplify everything. For example, there is relaxed health screening; and group rates keep premium costs down.

"Advantages like these make worksite LTC a no-brainer," says Gott. "And we think it could become as common as group healthcare, which has become the norm for most employers."

"Overall, for businesses as well as families, the need for LTC solutions is enormous," says Gott. "That's why we're so bullish."

Also, Gott predicts that the traditional LTC insurance business will start growing again fairly soon. "There are products out there, already developed, but sitting on carriers' shelves because the near-zero interest rate environment makes them uneconomic. As soon as interest rates start going up again, it's a whole new ballgame."

"So we're looking for 150 senior solutions agents to join us in serving this large and growing market." Information for candidates is available at https://www.acsiapartners.com/career-center/.

For employers interested in group protection for their employees, information is available at https://www.acsiapartners.com/business-owners/.

Information for consumers is available at https://www.acsiapartners.com/consumers/.

About ACSIA Partners LLC:

ACSIA Partners LLC -- https://www.acsiapartners.com -- serves organizations as well as families in all states. The company is also a co-founder and sponsor of the "3in4 Need More" campaign, which encourages Americans to form a long-term care plan.

This news story was published by the Neotrope® News Network - all rights reserved.