Fighting to Honor a Father’s Last Wish: To Die at Home

By NINA BERNSTEIN

Joseph Andrey was 5 years old in 1927 when his impoverished mother sold him to the manager of a popular vaudeville act. He was 91 last year when he told the story again, propped in a wheelchair in the rehabilitation unit of a nursing home where it seemed as though age and infirmity had put a different kind of price on his head.

Craning his neck, he sought the eyes of his daughter, Maureen Stefanides, who had promised to get him out of this place. “I want to go home, to my books and my music,” he said, his voice whispery but intense.

He was still her handsome father, the song-and-dance man of her childhood, with a full head of wavy hair and blue eyes that lit up when he talked. But he was gaunt now, warped like a weathered plank, perhaps by late effects of an old stroke, certainly by muscle atrophy and bad circulation in his legs.

Now she was determined to fulfill her father’s dearest wish, the wish so common among frail, elderly people: to die at home.

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Medicare could run out of money by 2026

By Phil Galewitz, Kaiser Health News

Medicare’s financial condition has taken a turn for the worse because of predicted higher hospital spending and lower tax revenues that fund the program, the federal government reported Tuesday.

In its annual report to Congress, the Medicare board of trustees said the program’s hospital insurance trust fund could run out of money by 2026 — three years earlier than projected last year.

A senior government official briefing reporters attributed the worsened outlook for Medicare to several factors that are reducing funding and increasing spending.

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A Fresh View on the LTC Insurance Market

Posted by CPS Insurance Services

Learning how to adjust to the changing market is crucial to the continued success of your LTC Insurance business.

Today’s market reflects an expanding, diverse clientele, so being able to respond to their unique needs and budget constraints is critical.

The first step is to understand their concerns around buying coverage, including potential objections about the cost of a policy. Adapting your approach to the new market will not only demonstrate that you are responding to changing trends, but will ultimately help to increase your LTC Insurance business.

3 important concepts to consider…

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I-Pipeline – American National is terminating the agreement to support the i-Go e-platform with i-Pipeline

Special Message:  I-Pipeline – American National is terminating the agreement to support the i-Go e-platform with i-Pipeline including – illustrations effective June 30^th.  Please move your e-app life submissions to our Expert App platform for fast, easy and efficient processing.  Here’s a You Tube training video walkthrough of our Expert App: https://img.anicoweb.com/wps/portal/img/home/expertoffice/quicklinks/expertoffice_training

Click this link for Easy Access to all of American National’s Forms (no password necessary):  https://img.anicoweb.com/wps/portal/img/home/expertoffice/quicklinks/expertforms

 

Industry Article – How to Sell More by Finding What Your Clients Need

How to Sell More by Finding What Your Clients Need
The worst obstacle to closing sales is that people think they’re broke. Read more.

DIAM: Employees underestimate chances of becoming disabled, and their need for income protection

By Insurance Forums Staff

May is Disability Insurance Awareness Month, and it’s no secret that Americans could use some education about this coverage and how not having any can have severe consequences in the event of a significant non-work injury or illness.

Employees who choose not to enroll in nonmedical benefits, like disability insurance, often say they don’t need the coverage. In fact, more than one in four 20-year-olds will experience a disability for 90 days or more before they reach 67, according to the Social Security Administration.

Almost 6 in 10 workers who opt out of disability insurance claim they don’t need the coverage or that it isn’t worth the cost, according to LIMRA data, but 75% of employees say they would have trouble paying for basic living expenses after several months if they became disabled and were unable to work.

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10-Year Review Of Disability Claims Shows Trend In Workplace Absences

Business Wire

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– A 10-year review of disability claims shows the effects of an aging workforce, medical advances and the power of early intervention, according to data from Unum (NYSE: UNM), a leading provider of disability benefits. Unum tracks reasons behind workplace absence in its disability data and shares results each May during Disability Insurance Awareness Month.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180503006409/en/

Key findings include:

• Short and long term disability claims for joint disorders and musculoskeletal issues have increased significantly.
• Cancer has stayed the No. 1 reason for long term disability claims, representing 17 percent of claims.
• Pregnancy continues to top the list of short term disability claims, at 28 percent.
• Long term disability claims for complicated pregnancies have decreased 47 percent.
• The percentage of Unum’s short term disability behavioral health claims that transition to long term is down 15 percent, the result of a dedicated behavioral health program implemented at Unum.

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