Wednesday, December 8, 2004

Seattle--

LTC Comment: To find out what's wrong with long-term care and how to fix it, take a closer look at Washington State. More after the ***news.***

*** 'TIS THE SEASON. Please show your support for the Center for Long-Term Care Financing. There are so many ways to help. Make a tax-deductible contribution ($150 or more gets you into The Zone). Sponsor an LTC Bullet for $500. Get your employer to make a corporate contribution (starting at $1,000) which will qualify you all for The Zone. Help organize an LTC Graduate Seminar in your city. Offer a matching gift that we can leverage through other donors. Make a targeted gift to fund a special purchase like new presentation folders for the Center. If you want us to keep fighting for rational long-term care policy, we need your financial support. Please pitch in! Contact mailto:amy@centerltc.org or 425-377-9500 for details. Or mail your contribution to the Center for Long-Term Care Financing at 2212 Queen Anne Avenue North, #110, Seattle, Washington 98109. Or contribute online at http://www.centerltc.com/support/index.htm . Many thanks for your past support and encouragement. ***

*** DISCOUNT TO DISAPPEAR. "Early bird" registration fee discounts will expire December 17, 2004 for the Society of Actuaries' "Fifth Annual Intercompany Long-Term Care Insurance Conference." This outstanding meeting is a great place for LTCi experts to network and track the industry's latest developments. But it is also a perfect opportunity for long-term care providers, financiers, and media to learn more about this challenging product and market. Full details about the SOA LTCi conference, to be held at the Rosen Centre in Orlando, FL January 23-26, 2005, are now available at http://www.soa.org/ccm/content/ce-meetings-seminars/conference-and-symposiums/ltci-2005/the-5th-annual-intercompany-ltci-conference/ . Check it out. ***

*** LTC GRADUATE SEMINARS. Three opportunities in January to attend this highly rated, advanced course for senior advisors--including a session in Orlando immediately following the SOA LTCi conference. Pre-registration is required. To reserve your space, please send an email to Amy McDougall at mailto:amy@centerltc.org with your complete contact information. Or call Amy at 425-377-9500. She will forward important Seminar details (directions, course texts, etc.) to you. For a syllabus, list of free texts, and testimonials--please go to http://www.centerltc.com/ltc_grad_seminar.htm The course fee is $225/person.

PASADENA, CA LTC Graduate Seminar; Thursday, January 6, 2005 from 8 a.m. - 4:15 p.m.; at the University of Phoenix's classroom facility, 299 North Euclid Avenue, Room 201, Pasadena, CA 91101-1531; approved for 7 California CEUs. Registration Deadline: Thursday, December 23, 2004.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN LTC Graduate Seminar; Friday, January 21, 2005 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; at the MN Trial Lawyers Association, 706-2^nd Ave. South, Room 140 of the Baker Building, Minneapolis, MN, 55402; approved for 7 Minnesota CEUs. Registration Deadline: Friday, January 7, 2005.

ORLANDO/MAITLAND, FL LTC Graduate Seminar; Thursday, January 27, 2005 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. at the University of Phoenix classroom facility, 2290 Lucien Way, Room 408, Maitland, FL 32751-7057. Registration Deadline: Thursday, January 13, 2005. CEU Status: Approved for 7 FL CEUs. Provider #: 364786. Course #: 51111. This course has been designated by the Florida Department of Insurance as Advanced level. It is intended for the student who has significant knowledge of the subject matter and who has significant experience in the subject matter area. ***

*** LATEST DONOR-ONLY ZONE CONTENT: Here's the latest Zone content followed by instructions on how to subscribe so you can receive these critical epistles daily by email.

The LTC Reader #4-050--Late-Stage Dementia Care (Tips on making life better for people in the final stages of Alzheimer's Disease.)

LTC E-Alert #4-062--New Donor-Zone Feature on VA Benefits for LTC, Or the Lack Thereof (13 items from the past five years that explain why most Vets should not rely on the VA for LTC.)

LTC E-Alert #4-063--Use the Home to Stay at Home and/or Buy LTCi (HUD seeks comments on a proposed rule to make reverse mortgages less expensive if they're used to buy LTCi.)

Don't miss our "virtual visits" to major LTC industry conferences in The Zone. You'll find our comparison of the conferences, session summaries, interviews and pictures at http://www.centerltc.com/members/index.htm .

Individual donors of $150 or more and corporate donors to the Center for Long-Term Care Financing receive our daily email LTC Bullets, LTC E-Alerts, LTC Readers, and LTC Data Updates for a full year. You'll also get access to the donor-only zone where these publications are archived along with other donor-only features. If you already qualify for The Zone, you can click the following link, enter your user name and password, and go directly to the latest donor zone content and archives: http://www.centerltc.com/members/index.htm . If you do not already qualify for The Zone, mail your tax-deductible contribution of $150 or more to the Center for Long-Term Care Financing, 2212 Queen Anne Avenue North, #110, Seattle, WA 98109. Then email mailto:damon@centerltc.org your preferred user name and password (up to 10 characters each). You can also contribute online by credit card or direct withdrawal at http://www.centerltc.com/support/index.htm . ***

LTC Comment: Yesterday, the Center for Long-Term Care Financing released a new report about long-term care service delivery and financing. Its focus is Washington State, but this report asks key questions that every state in the country should answer before it's too late. Following is our press release on the study. Read the brief report at http://www.centerltc.org/pubs/washington.pdf .

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT:

Stephen A. Moses, President
Center for Long-Term Care Financing
Voice: 206-283-7036
Fax: 206-283-6536
Email: smoses@centerltc.org
Web: www.centerltc.org

WHY IS MEDICAID LONG-TERM CARE SINKING WASHINGTON STATE?

Seattle, Washington, December 7, 2004 -

The Center for Long-Term Care Financing released a report today titled "What We Don't Know About Medicaid and Long-Term Care is Hurting Washington State." Read or download it at http://www.centerltc.org/pubs/washington.pdf .

The huge and growing cost of Medicaid-financed long-term care severely strains Washington's state budget. No wonder. Easy eligibility, generous benefits and lenient estate recovery discourage private financing of long-term care, chill the market for insurance and home equity conversion, and strangle the state's underfunded long-term care providers.

Center President Stephen Moses said: "Washington state's window of opportunity to fix long-term care is rapidly closing as the baby boom ages. This report explains the state's long-term care service delivery and financing problem. It asks the critical questions for which every state legislator should demand answers now."

The Center for Long-Term Care Financing is a 501(c)(3) charitable, nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank and public policy organization "dedicated to ensuring quality long-term care for all Americans." The Center's website at www.centerltc.org contains a wealth of information on long-term care financing issues. Interested parties should contact Center President Stephen Moses at smoses@centerltc.org or 206-283-7036 about expanding this study's analysis to other states and about identifying and implementing corrective actions in all states.

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