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Long-term care insurance (LTCI) policyholders who can afford to pay higher premiums should probably take a deep breath when the premiums go up and keep their current LTCI coverage in place.
LTCI policyholders who can't afford to pay the increased premiums should try to keep as much of the coverage in place as possible, by accepting one of the premium increase alternatives the issuer offers, or by calling up and ask if the insurer will consider allowing some other arrangement.
Jesse Slome, the director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (AALTCI), gives that advice in a new commentary.
(Related: Agents Optimistic About LTCI Sales: AALTCI)
Slome says rates are going up because providing the coverage has turned out to be much more expensive than the issuers had expected.
Many of the consumers facing the biggest increases bought their policies many years ago, and those consumers are nearing the age when the risk of needing long-term care services is increasing rapidly, Slome says.
