LTC Bullet: The Brave New World of LTC Financing
Thursday,
February 23, 2006
Seattle--
LTC
Comment: What hath Congress
wrought? The brave new world of LTC
financing since the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. After the ***news.***
***
TODAY'S LTC BULLET IS SPONSORED BY . . . Phyllis Shelton, a long-time supporter
of the Center for Long-Term Care Reform, is offering a $50 discount for Center
members to attend the National LTCI Sales Conference April 24-27th in Nashville,
TN. Just enter the code
"Center" in the promo box of the registration form at www.ltciconference.com.
Phyllis says "Phil Sullivan and I, though competitors with different
styles, are working TOGETHER to provide the cutting-edge sales training
producers need to increase LTCI sales in 2006. Learn from both of us for
the price of one AND experience the dynamic referral training in the "Do
Not Call" environment of Bill Cates, "America's Referral Coach."
Between the excellent training and networking opportunities, with registrants
from 33 states already, this is a PHENOMENAL training event not to be missed -
especially when you add in lots of Nashville music!!" ***
LTC
BULLET: THE BRAVE NEW WORLD OF LTC
FINANCING
LTC
Comment: If you've followed the
long, tortuous trail taken by the new Deficit Reduction Act toward enactment,
you know one thing for sure. Long-term
care financing will never be the same.
The
DRA of 2005 moves long-term care financing's center of gravity away from
Medicaid planning abuse and toward responsible, early long-term care planning
through private insurance and home equity conversion.
That's
a shot in the arm for LTCi agents and reverse mortgage lenders.
But it's a gut shot to lawyers, "Medicaid-friendly" annuity
salespeople and other financial planners who have misused Medicaid for personal
gain.
But
what exactly does the Deficit Reduction Act do?
That's what people have been asking us at the Center for Long-Term Care
Reform. So, we've prepared a
one-hour seminar to cover the key provisions of the DRA.
To
schedule a conference-call presentation of "The Brave New World of LTC
Financing" by Center president Steve Moses, contact the Center for
Long-Term Care Reform at 206-283-7036 or info@centerltc.com.
You will need to provide your own call-in number, access code and
audience. All we do is provide the
content.
To
schedule a full-day, on-site LTC Graduate Seminar including the "The Brave
New World of LTC Financing" content, contact Steve directly at 206-283-7036
or smoses@centerltc.com.
For details on the LTC Graduate Seminar curriculum, go to http://www.centerltc.com/ltc_grad_seminar.htm.
To
give you a better idea of our new program's content, following are Steve's
presentation notes for "The Brave New World of LTC Financing."
THE
BRAVE NEW WORLD OF LTC FINANCING
MOTIVATION
LTCi
and HEC (home equity conversion) sales will never be the same.
Jesse
Slome says expect total LTCi market to double in five years.
Too conservative.
With
what you learn today, if your LTCi or HEC sales don't double in five weeks,
you're letting your clients, your company, and yourself down.
We
only have time today to hit the high spots.
For the full benefit, the LTC Graduate Seminar--a full day program.
BACKGROUND
ON STEVE MOSES AND THE CLTCR
Why
believe me?
HCFA
for nine years; OIG for three years; LTC, Inc. for nine years; president of
Center for Long-Term Care Reform since 1998.
I've
been working for two decades to save Medicaid as a LTC safety net for the poor
by getting everyone else insured or otherwise protected financially for LTC.
We
finally have the federal statutory authorities to make that happen.
That's
what I'll explain today: the
Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. But
take heed:
If
the states don't implement it . . .
If
the feds don't enforce it . . .
If
the media don't publicize it . . .
And
if you don't sell it . . .
Consumer
behavior won't change.
We
all have our job to do. Mine is to
explain what's different and to paint the dream.
Yours
is to learn, understand, and never let another person go bare for LTCi or
abandon the LTC financing potential of home equity if you can convince them,
without using scare tactics, to protect themselves with LTCi and HEC.
THE
DEFICIT REDUCTION ACT OF 2005
Status
Glitch.
Clerical error. Bills passed in House and Senate not identical so may not be
law even though President signed.
Lawsuit
filed by a NAELA Medicaid planner in Alabama.
Stay
tuned to LTC Bullets and LTC E-Alerts for progress reports.
In
the meantime, state and federal governments are proceeding on the presumption
that the DRA is now and will remain the law of the land.
PRINCIPLES
MORE IMPORTANT THAN PROVISIONS
Principle
#1: People won't buy what they can
get for free.
Principle
#2: Medicaid and Medicare have paid
for most LTC since 1965.
Principle
#3: Refer to Principle #1.
Very
few agents, brokers, carriers or HEC lenders understand how government LTC
financing crowds out LTC insurance.
Most
people don't say: "I won't buy
because I'm planning to go on welfare."
But
that doesn't mean Medicaid and Medicare don't matter.
Because
the government pays for most LTC, few Americans worry about it until it's too
late and then they qualify easily for public financing.
In
other words, you don't even see 80 percent of the potential market for LTCi or
HEC and half of the 20 percent you do see don't buy . . .
Because
they don't believe they are financially at risk.
And
they were right! Until now.
PROVISIONS
OF THE DRA, IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE
Medicaid
LTC eligibility reform; LTC Partnership changes; and HCBS under Medicaid.
The
LTC Partnerships are what excites industry people.
But
the Medicaid reforms are much more important.
Here's why . . .
MEDICAID
LTC ELIGIBILITY
Heretofore,
there were no limits on income or assets.
Unlimited
income if medical expenses, including nursing home care, are high enough.
Unlimited
assets if held in exempt form (home, business, car, term life, prepaid burials,
etc.)
Unlimited
loopholes if you knew where to find them . . . and Medicaid planners knew.
Here's
what's changed in the brave new world of LTC financing
PROVISIONS
LOOK
BACK FOR ASSET TRANSFERS EXTENDED FROM THREE TO FIVE YEARS
* Applies only to transfers for less than fair market value to qualify for
Medicaid
* Does not apply to charitable donations or gifts to grandchildren for other
reasons
* Effective for transfers after date of enactment (February 8, 2006) unless . .
.
PENALTY
PERIOD DATE CHANGE
* TOA penalty will begin at date of Medicaid eligibility otherwise
* Will not hurt nursing homes as claimed because . . .
* Eliminates "half-a-loaf" strategy
* Effective at enactment
UNDUE
HARDSHIP WAIVERS
* Approved if penalty would deny medical care or food, clothing, shelter, or
other necessities of life.
* State Medicaid programs required to notify recipients of hardship waiver
option
* Permits LTC facilities to file undue hardship waiver applications on behalf of
the their Medicaid residents.
* Authorizes payments to LTC facilities while Medicaid eligibility is pending up
to 30 days
HOME
EQUITY LIMIT
* Reduced from unlimited to $500,000 with state option up to $750,000
* Limit increases with CPI starting in 2011
* Does not apply if spouse, minor or disabled child living in home
* Reverse mortgages may be used to reduce the home equity to qualify
* Applies for Medicaid applications filed on or after January 1, 2006
ANNUITIES
AND OTHER LARGE TRANSACTIONS
* Medicaid recipients and community spouses must disclose annuities at
eligibility and recertification
* State must be named as remainder beneficiary
* State must notify annuity issuer of its status as remainder beneficiary
* States may require annuity issuer to report income or principal withdrawals
* States may deny Medicaid eligibility based on such withdrawals
* Purchase of an annuity is a penalizable TOA unless state is listed as
remainder beneficiary in first position for at least total of Medicaid payments
or in second position to community spouse or minor or disabled child
* Effective at enactment
INCOME
FIRST RULE
* State Medicaid programs must apply the 'income-first' rule to community
spouses who appeal for an increased resource allowance to maximize assets
invested to meet their minimum income requirements.
* No more "transfer assets before income" loophole to maximize the
CSRA ($99,540) by filling the MMMNA ($2488.50) from interest on assets
* Eliminates loophole that allowed hundreds of thousands of extra dollars to be
diverted from private LTC financing spend down at Medicaid's expense
* Effective at enactment
CONTINUING
CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES (CCRC) AND LIFE CARE COMMUNITY ADMISSION CONTRACTS
* Allows Medicaid to require CCRC residents to spend down their entrance fees
before applying for medical assistance.
* Entrance fees treated as available assets for determining Medicaid eligibility
* Eliminates a loophole used by Medicaid planners to evade spend down
requirements at facilities' expense
PARTIAL
MONTHS OF INELIGIBILITY
* States barred from 'rounding down' fractional periods of ineligibility to
determine asset transfer ineligibility periods.
* Eliminates the loophole that allowed states to ignore otherwise penalizable
asset transfers up to double the average monthly price of a private nursing home
minus one dollar.
* States may not ignore fractional periods of ineligibility
MULTIPLE
TRANSFERS
* Permits states to treat multiple asset transfers as a single transfer and to
begin the penalty period on the earliest date that would apply to such
transfers.
* States may combine multiple fractional asset transfers to make one cumulative
uncompensated value for the purpose of determining the TOA penalty.
* Prevents penalties for fractional transfers from running concurrently thus
reducing the effective penalty.
TRANSFER
OF CERTAIN NOTES AND LOANS ASSETS
* Includes funds used to purchase a promissory note, loan or mortgage among
countable assets unless repayment terms are actuarially sound, provide for equal
payments and prohibit the cancellation of the balance upon the death of the
lender.
* Makes funds used to purchase certain promissory notes, loans or mortgages
vulnerable to the transfer of assets penalty.
* Stops the use of SCINs (self-canceling installment notes) and other similar
loopholes to qualify for Medicaid.
PURCHASE
OF LIFE ESTATES
* Includes as a penalizable asset transfer the purchase of a life estate
interest in another individual's home unless the purchaser resides in the home
for at least one year after the date of purchase.
EFFECTIVE
DATES
* As indicated except if state legislation required then "the first day of
the first calendar quarter beginning after the close of the first regular
session of the State legislature that begins after the date of the enactment of
this Act."
* Medicaid planners are touting this as an opportunity to plan for Medicaid, a
Medicaid planning fire sale: "The
bottom line is if you have been hesitating about seeing an attorney about
long-term care planning, hesitate no longer.
If you have considered protecting some assets for your loved ones in case
you later require long-term care, you should contact a qualified elder law
attorney now." (Source:
ElderLaw Answers, "Congress Passes Bill Containing Punitive
New Medicaid Transfer Rules" at http://www.elderlawanswers.com/resources/article.asp?id=5221§ion=4)
EXPANSION
OF LTC PARTNERSHIPS
* Extends the long-term care partnership program option to any state.
* Removes the Waxman estate recovery obstacle to LTC Partnerships.
* Must be a Qualified LTC policy
* Must meet NAIC model regs and act as of October 2000
* Requires benefit increase provisions or option for younger insureds
* Training requirements for agents
* Reporting requirements for insurers
* No requirements imposed on Partnership policies that don't also apply to other
LTCi policies in the state
* Minimum data set reporting requirements
* Portability guidelines from the Secretary by January 1, 2007:
"standards for uniform reciprocal recognition."
* Annual reports to the Congress by the Secretary
* National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information for consumers; $3
million per year from 2006 to 2010
* LTCi Partnerships have much greater potential in the future because of the
DRA's measures to discourage Medicaid spend-down avoidance through artificial
impoverishment
EXPANDED
HCBS
* HCBS become optional services under Medicaid state plans, not requiring a
waiver.
* No longer requires recipient to need nursing home level of care
* States may limit enrollment
* State may allow consumer purchase and control of care
* Quality control
* State may elect not to comply with statewideness for HCBS only
* Effective January 1, 2007
* Makes Medicaid more attractive than ever by offering home care, assisted
living and other community-based services, not just nursing home care
*Could have encouraged Medicaid planning and discouraged LTCi and HEC in the
absence of the DRA's Medicaid eligibility crackdown provisions
* Critical that the Medicaid eligibility reforms be implemented, enforced, and
publicized
* Otherwise, expanded HCBS will overwhelm state Medicaid budgets
CONCLUSION
* It's up to you now
* You finally have the tools to wake up America to the risk and cost of LTC
* You finally have the tools to protect aging Americans from the preventable
tragedy of LTC
* The sky's the limit for LTCi and HEC
* The more you sell, the fewer people will need Medicaid, and the better able
Medicaid will be to provide a full range of LTC services for people truly in
need
* You'll be doing good by doing well in the Brave New World of LTC Financing