It's Tricia Hancock, the LTC Supervisor at Underwriters Marketing Service. I wanted to take a minute to discuss what's been happening in the LTC/Extended healthcare arena as we head into the Summer months.
2019 has been a year of change for extended healthcare planning and it will continue this summer into the fall.
A Note about Extended Healthcare/LTC Arena
Change is good. We must change to respond to current client concerns or be left behind. The changes we are seeing in the marketplace are some of the most exciting I’ve seen in years. New product options, approvals in more states, longer premium payments. These changes open up the Linked Benefit sale to more clients than ever before.
Why have Linked Benefits become such a popular planning tool in recent years? They are objection handlers! They help overcome the top 3 reasons many clients say no to Long Term Care Planning:
It will never happen to me! With Linked Benefits, the client has a death benefit, but still had the peace of mind for their family that if somehow it did happen to them, their family was protected.
What happens if I never need care? With Linked Benefits there is a death benefit paid to a beneficiary, so it’s not money out the window.
Potential Rate Increases. Many linked benefit products have guaranteed premiums, even during the funding years, so your client always knows what their premiums will be.
What sort of client do you want to talk to about these newly designed products?
Clients that said no to Long Term Care Planning in the past
Clients that have the “old type” type of life insurance
Clients that have had a family member who needed care
Clients that have set aside a self-insurance fund
Clients that have annuities designed for legacy, not for income
With more competitive policy design, including second to die, unlimited benefits and new inflation options, don’t take a vacation from these products this summer! UMS has a conversation starter kit to give you the why & how of having this important conversation with your clients today. You can preview one of the pieces and then contact Terri for the full kit or to learn more about the support UMS can provide in LTC/extended healthcare.
Sincerely,
Tricia Hancock, CLTC
Long Term Care/DI/Medicare Supervisor
Underwriters Marketing Service