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Current News

The Importance of Long Term Care Insurance Plans in the Workplace
In an interview with Lee Hafner for an article in Employer Benefit News, I discussed Long Term Care insurance plans as a worksite benefit. Currently, 1 in 3 employees is responsible for caregiving duties for a family member or friend. These responsibilities have a signficiant impact on employees, leading to increased stress, reduced work performance, and potential reductions in work hours. Additionally, the caregiving crisis affects employer, resulting in productivity losses, increased use of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and employee turnover. To address these challenges, employers can add a group LTC insurance plan to employee benefit packages and provide education and caregiving resources to employees. This collective approach benefits both employers and employees.
Employer Benefit News, January 2025 — https://www.benefitnews.com/news/why-hr-leaders-need-to-become-experts-on-long-term-care-benefits

Is Long-Term Care insurance worth buying in your 50’s? Experts weigh in
I was quoted in a CBS NEWS Money Watch online article about the importance of purchasing LTC insurance at a younger age. LTC experts state the many reasons why —
- lower premium cost based on a younger age
- better health at a younger age, easier to qualify for a LTCi plan
- policy funds have a longer period of time to grow with a compound inflation benefit
Link to Article: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/is-long-term-care-insurance-worth-buying-in-your-50s-experts-weigh-in/?intcid=CNM-00-10abd1h

Good News for Medicare Beneficiaries
2025 saw a reduction in drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries. The maximum out-of-pocket cost for Medicare covered drugs is now $2,000. This is a significant savings to individuals with high drug costs.
In Januar 2025, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the next 15 Part D covered drugs selected for Medicare drug price negotiations. Any negotiated prices on these drugs will be effective in 2027. Popular weight-loss and diabetes drugs Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Rybelsus are on this list. Medicare spent a whopping $5.7 billion on these drugs in 2022, up from just $57 million in 2018 (KFF, Health Costs 3/22/24). Given the current administration’s wish to reduce Medicare spending, there is a strong possibility that changes will be made to this list. Additionally, insurance carriers providing Medicare Advantage plans are advocating for the exclusion of these specific drugs from Medicare coverage. Stay tuned!

TESTIMONIALS
Mason Neck, VA — Lori is not your typical insurance agent. Her expertise and customer service is unsurpassed. She is more of a trusted consultant than salesperson. I am indebted to Lori for sharing the benefits of long-term care (LTC) insurance with us. We went to her thinking we wanted life insurance. Although she sells life insurance, she demonstrated that LTC insurance would achieve our goal of being financially secure much better than with life insurance.
Our experience selecting and applying for our LTC insurance was effortless with her by our side. She did all the legwork (and homework) so we didn’t have to. She pointed out the strengths and weaknesses of each program, which helped tremendously in our decision-making. And, when my purse was stolen and I needed to quickly get in touch with the insurance company to give them our new bank information, she had all the info at your fingertips. Thank you, Lori. We will never buy insurance from anyone else!
River Forest, IL — I wasn’t particularly focused on my need for long term care insurance when we first starting discussing it. But through her low-key, no pressure comments about the subject, and her vast and deep knowledge of the issues, she convinced me of the benefits. Thank you, Lori, for crafting a policy that meets my needs. I would recommend her to anyone.
Arlington, TX — Ok, friends, if you don’t already have long-term or even short-term care insurance, this is the lady to contact. Lori’s very knowledgeable and thorough. She spent a LOT of time with us over the past 2 weeks, both over Zoom and through emails, to provide us with information from several different companies. Lori has a very gentle demeanor. She didn’t use any high-pressure sales tactics to promote one company over another. I would encourage you to sign up for this insurance even if you’re in your 40s because you never know when a pre-existing condition will arise that will cause you to either pay larger premiums or not even be able to be covered at all. If we had started 10 years ago, we would have paid thousands of dollars less than we are paying now. I just can’t say enough good things about Lori. I hope you’ll send her an email and at least have her start doing some research for you. Lori Martin
Montgomery, AL — Lori, thank you much for your time and helpful advice. You are a blessing! I am so happy that Suze referred you. You exceeded my expectations and were so thoughtful and thorough in evaluating my current LTC policy and answering related questions. So appreciative 🙂