Long Term Care and Disability Insurance

Not responsible for your parent’s debts? Filial responsibility laws…

Presented by Leonard Berthelsen Many times we have a notion that we know how something should turn out, only to find out that the complete opposite is true. Filial responsibility laws are in place in 30 states in our country today. What is the Filial responsibility law? It basically makes an adult child responsible for the care debts of an ailing parent who cannot afford to pay for their care. We all thought that was what Medicaid was for, right? It is no longer enough for a person to have limited assets in order to qualify for Medicaid but apparently their adult children as well. Take a look at a Pennsylvania case that involved an ailing parent whose son was sued by the nursing home even before Medicaid had made a decision on the applicant’s eligibility. The courts ruled that by the mere fact of having a Filial responsibility law in place, the nursing home didn’t need to wait for a decision from Medicaid and could choose any or all of the adult children to be the responsible party for their parent’s bill. This potential liability should move more of our clients to reconsider long-term care insurance. We have talked as an industry for years that it makes good sense for adult children to have that conversation with their parents about their wishes and finances concerning long-term care issues. I think the urgency is a little stronger now in light of what we are starting to see happen. Long-term care insurance is still the best protection for a parent wanting to maintain choices and flexibility. It now has become even more important for the adult children to have that conversation with their parents and even consider paying the premiums for their parent’s policy. It could save them a tremendous amount of money in the long run.
Long Term Care and Disability Insurance

HELPING CHILDREN CARE FOR THEIR PARENTS

Presented by Tim Dreher   An often heard objection when talking to a prospect about Long Term Care insurance is, “I don’t need insurance because my kids will take care of me.” However, many people don’t realize that there are other unfortunate factors when children care for an elderly parent.  Those factors are not just financial, but can involve emotional and physical stresses as well. According to the American Association for Long Term Care Insurance (AALTCI), the average caregiver is a female in her mid to late forties.  She typically provides more than twenty hours of care per week.  More often than not, she is already juggling her own hectic schedule of working a full time career, raising a family of her own and taking care of her own household. Unfortunately, there can be a financial cost if a caregiver is forced to take time off from their job, reduce their hours to a part-time status or if they need to put their career on hold entirely in order to care for a parent.  Of course, this is not to mention the emotional and physical hardships that a caregiver faces on a daily basis. Caring for an elderly parent is not an easy task.  Many times caregivers are stretched so thin juggling their overwhelming responsibilities that they often neglect their own health and become sick and frail themselves, speeding up their own aging. Fortunately, one way to help alleviate many of the challenges involved with caring for a loved one is to have the Long Term Care discussion and talk about how a Long Term Care plan could help.  Plan benefits can provide for professional caregivers to help supplement the care that is being provided by family members.  When talking about Long Term Care insurance with a prospect, I explain it like this, “Of course your kids will help care for you if you should ever need it, and Long Term Care insurance will allow them to care for you better and longer.”  Isn’t that what all of us want? Contact your Financial Brokerage Sales Manager at 800-397-9999 for help in overcoming this and many more objections. It could turn that negative experience into a positive one and hopefully a sale for you.
Annuities

Conversations with Aging Parents

Presented by Richard Mangiameli Attached is a nice piece that was put together by F&G Life, on how to approach conversations with aging parents. This is a great thing to share, as I can see you using this as a business opportunity/value-add in a couple of different ways: 1) To use with existing clients who are 45-65 years old to possibly open the door to doing business with those clients’ parents. 2) To remind you with aging clientele to discuss the importance of having their affairs in order, and to possibly gain introductions to their children for future business. Click here Call me on your next annuity case.