FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Diane Steeves, Partner
Diane Steeves & Associates
diane.steeves@ltcfp.net
503-297-7677
There May Be No Better Way to Make Her Smile, and Keep Smiling, Year After Year!
Portland, OR December 4, 2013 – With Christmas, Hanukkah, and other gift-giving holidays near, how might you best delight a mother, wife, or other woman in your life? “Few things can beat a long-term care protection package,” says Diane Steeves, an LTC solution expert for Diane Steeves & Associates, with offices in Portland.
Really?
Compared to jewelry, an ocean cruise, or new car? “Ordinary gifts bring temporary delight,” says Steeves, “but an LTC package can help deliver peace of mind for years to come.”
The “package” can take many forms:
“Whatever the instrument,” says Steeves, “the idea is the same. Let a woman in your life breathe easier knowing she’s got a way to help pay for care in case of incapacity. She doesn’t have to worry so much about an uncertain future.”
An LTC package can be an especially good present for a woman, for two reasons:
First, women tend to live longer than men. According to the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, women need care a full year and a half longer than men: 3.7 years versus 2.2 for men, on average. “So when they need care, they need a lot more of it, and they need it when there may be no man around,” says Steeves. “Having an LTC package in place counters one of their biggest worries.”
Second, LTC insurance (the first package option) may never be as affordable for a woman as it is now. “Since women live longer than men and tend to need care longer,” says Steeves, “carriers have been subsidizing them, so to speak, in effect giving them up to an extra year and a half of care for free. This is changing.” Genworth, John Hancock, and Transamerica have already introduced gender-based pricing in several states; and other carriers are expected to follow suit. “This time next year, rates could be double digits higher for many policies.”
An LTC protection package can also benefit a woman when it’s a gift to someone else. Why? “When there is no plan in place, females tend to be the default caregivers,” says Steeves. “So when a woman’s spouse, dad, or mom gets protected, it’s an indirect gift to her too; she can stop worrying so much about having to disrupt her life to tend them. What a relief, knowing you don’t have to spend your days helping them eat, move around, or bathe.”
“At this time of year,” Steeves says, “we're happy to put on our holiday hats and act as LTC gift package advisors.” Information is available from Steeves at diane.steeves@ltcfp.net, http://dianesteeves.ltcfp.com or 503-297-7677.
Diane Steeves is a leading long-term care solutions agent in OR, serving consumers as well as organizations. “We’re glad to help individuals or employers learn the type of protection that's best for their situation,” Steeves says.
In California the company is known as LTC Partners & Insurance Services; in other states, as LTC Financial Partners. The corporate website: http://www.ltcfp.com.
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