Long-term-care insurance.(your letters)(Letter to the Editor)

Letter to the Editor

As a nursing home administrator, I am frequently asked about the pros and cons of long-term-care insurance. Your November report on this subject was fanfastic. Long-term-care insurance has the potential to be a real solution to funding long-term care in our country Unfortunately, as you describe, finding a good policy is very difficult. It is hard to inform the residents of our facility and their family members that the long-term-care insurance that they had purchased will not cover their stay.

ELLIOTT CAHAN

GOOD SAMARITAN NURSING CENTER

BALTIMORE

I was appalled to see that I was quoted to enhance your case that long-term-care insurance is not a good deal. I did provide information about large rate increases in the past, but also advised you that a new piece of legislation will make it virtually impossible for this activity to reoccur. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners Long Term Care Insurance Model Regulation Act of 2000 carries stiff penalties for companies that engage in inappropriate pricing and rate increase patterns and has been passed in 24 states to date.

Your article contains massive misrepresentations, but the worst one is the advice to wait until age 65 to purchase long-term-care insurance. When the article says only 1 percent of people under 65 are in nursing homes, that completely ignores the other 4 million who are being cared for at great financial, emotional, and mental sacrifice by family ...