Honey Leveen, The Queen of Long-Term Care Insurance
Greetings, Dear Friends and Clients, 
  
The Ants and the Grasshopper 

"What!" cried the Ants in surprise, "haven't you stored anything away for the winter? What in the world were you doing all last summer?"

"I didn't have time to store up any food," whined the Grasshopper; "I was so busy making music that before I knew it the summer was gone."        -- Aesop Fables

Since we were children, we've been told how important it is to prepare for winter. In the world of long term care, our winter is that season when we can no longer care for ourselves. You have a choice: you can be the Ants who methodically stashed a little bit away over many months and spend the winter surrounded with all needs met. Or you can be the Grasshopper who ignored the advice of the Ants and found himself having to beg for handouts during the winter.

A recent article on Bloomberg.com reports that "Americans spend more than $300 billion per year on long term care, including nursing homes, assisted-living facilities and in-home care." That amount is six times the annual budget of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. And that spending doesn't include untold cost of America's 21 million unpaid family caregivers.

When families are unable to cover these costs, they turn to Medicaid for financial assistance. Medicaid has its own issues, caused by overuse, underfunding and substandard care.

For more information, see my blog on underpaid caregivers .

And this blog about the eroding condition of nursing homes and their patients.
 
The Motley Fool suggests reserving $250,000 in savings for your long-term care expenses - unless you own LTCi. LTCi policies help people avoid Medicaid!  The Motley Fool also reports on costs of long-term care and the odds of your needing it. (Spoiler Alert: They put it at about 70%, once you reach 65 years of age.)

Here's a third story on the need to discuss LTC plans with your family, openly, honestly and NOW.

For most of us, there's really only one sure way to assure you'll have access to quality care options when your winter comes:  owning long-term care insurance (LTCi)! My clients are very satisfied and grateful Ants.
 
Have You Had a Rate Hike?

Usually, even with the rate hike, your policy is below current market price. Clients find it highly useful to discuss what causes rate hikes, how they occur, and how likely there'll be more in the future. If necessary, I can help you find optimal ways to downgrade your coverage while keeping it highly effective.

Do not tamper with your policy until we've spoken! If you need to discuss your LTCi rate hike, please email or call me.

Spreading the Word about LTCi
 
I very much enjoy invitations to give accurate LTC information to the public. Contact me if I can offer LTC education to your professional, civic, or church group. Click here to read more about my public speaking references.

Happy holidays!
 

The Queen, by Self Proclamation, of Long-Term Care Insurance