LTC Bullet:  The National LTC Consciousness Tour -- Content, Schedule, Itinerary 

Thursday, September 6, 2007 

Seattle-- 

LTC Comment:  What is the National Long-Term Care Consciousness Tour?  What will it do?  Where will it go?  And when? 

Starting January 1, 2008 in the Southeast, I'm going to live on the road for a year.  Instead of flying constantly from Seattle to do business around the country, I'm going to focus on six regions of the United States for two months each.  Sure, I'll build in occasional visits home, but most of the time I'll be out in the field with you.  In the foxholes, to employ the "LTC Embed" analogy. 

Why in the world would you do this, Steve?  I'm glad you asked. 

The purpose of this "Tour" is to get closer to the action . . . to work locally with LTCi producers, LTC providers and reverse mortgage specialists . . . to collaborate with financial planners, CPAs and lawyers on the importance of LTC planning . . . to influence local media, politicians and policy makers . . .  to join forces with state think tanks . . . to work more directly with the public . . ..  In other words, to do all the things I do anyway, but with more availability and for a fraction of the cost of transporting me back and forth to Seattle for every event.  

More specifically, I'll be . . . 

Consulting 

Teaching the LTC Graduate Seminar in person AND online 

Writing Op-Eds and newspaper articles for local media 

Meeting with local reporters and/or newspaper editorial boards 

Addressing estate planning councils 

Collaborating with financial planners, CPAs, and estate planning attorneys 

Working with LTC providers (nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home health agencies and the state affiliates of their national trade associations, such as AHCA/NCAL, AAHSA, ALFA) 

Encouraging reverse mortgage lenders to consider long-term care funding and LTCi premiums in their marketing 

Making political contacts with Governors, state legislators, city council members, Congressional representatives, state Insurance Commissioners, Medicaid directors and their staffs toward the end of improving long-term care public policy 

Mobilizing local businesses, including banks and other financial institutions, and the Chamber of Commerce to recognize the importance of LTC planning 

Conducting studies with State Policy Network think tanks like the ones who have sponsored Center for Long-Term Care Reform reviews in Kansas, Texas and North Carolina recently 

Meeting with senior advocacy groups like the AARP, Area Agencies on Aging, and the Aging Network to explain the benefits of supplementing publicly financed LTC programs with private financing alternatives 

Conducing public meetings or "group talks" in collaboration with LTCi producers and other senior advisors 

Now, don't worry, the Center for Long-Term Care Reform will still produce our daily LTC E-Alerts and weekly LTC Bullets.  We'll still do the research and advocacy for national LTC policy reform.  There will be many more of our most popular "LTC Embed Reports from the Policy Front."  Our publications may have a little less theory and a little more practical focus.  For example, I'll collect marketing and sales ideas like fly paper and pass them on.  We'll test our ideas and theories in the real world, learn, adapt, and act.  

So, where will you be and when?  Here's my first draft itinerary and schedule. 

Southeast:  FL, GA, AL, MS, SC, NC, TN  (7 states:  January, February) 

Southwest:  TX, NM, AZ, CO, UT, OK, AR, LA (8 states:  March, April) 

Central East:  VA, WV, MD, DE, PA, NJ, DC (7 states:  May, June) 

Northeast:  NY, CT, RI, MA, VT, NH, ME  (7 states:  July, August) 

Midwest:  IL, IN, OH, IA, MI, KY, MO, MN, ND, SD, KS, NE, WI  (13 states:  September, October) 

West:  CA, NV, OR, WA, ID, MT, WY, AK, HI  (9 states:  November, December) 

How do you expect to do this without breaking the bank renting cars and living in hotels?  Ah, that's the secret ingredient of this plan which will only be revealed to people who participate in the "National LTC Consciousness Tour" as "LTC Gadflies" or "Regional Representatives." 

On that subject, stay tuned for Tuesday's LTC Bullet about how you can personally participate in, and hopefully profit from, the "Tour."