State-Federal LTC Awareness Campaign - a Marketing Opportunity for You

The US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) and the National Governors Association (NGA) are launching the "Own Your Future" long term care awareness campaign in January 2005. The goal of the campaign is to make clear what Medicare does and doesn’t cover regarding long-term care and to provide resources for individuals so they can plan for ways to protect themselves.

The national campaign will kick-off with letters from five state governors to their residents between the ages of 50 and 70. The letter will suggest that consideration of how to pay for long term care should be part of retirement planning. An estimated 2.5 million letters will be distributed.

The five-state pilot program will begin in Arkansas, Idaho, Nevada, New Jersey and Virginia. In addition to urging residents to plan for LTC expenses, the letter will direct interested individuals to a state or Federal website or call to request a CMS guide. If you are licensed in one of the pilot states, now is a good time to contact your clients and prospective clients with the information:

• Notify them that they will be receiving information from the governor on LTC planning in January;
• Encourage them to review the information carefully; and
• To contact you if they have any questions.

Keep your information simple. The idea is to offer you as a resource not to sell product.

Beyond the mailing from the governors, the campaign is planning public service announcements and follow-up mailers. An audio CD is also being developed featuring people talking about the importance of the issue. The campaign is designed to build awareness. The government is not in the business of retirement planning – that’s your role. Make sure your clients and prospects know how to contact you once the government raises their awareness of the need to have a means of paying for long term care. If your not licensed in one of the target states, you can still benefit from the efforts of the awareness campaign. While the "Own Your Future" mail campaign is targeting five states initially, information will be on Medicare’s website to reach people nationwide. Funding and evaluation of the pilot program will determine if the campaign is taken further.

Congress allocated funds to The Centers from Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) five years ago to offer a long-term care campaign. The funds were appropriated as part of the CMS budget to emphasize the importance of beginning a LTC dialog with Americans.

AHIA has written HHS and NGA in support of the campaign. In addition to commending their efforts, AHIA explains the role of the agent in assisting consumers evaluate their needs for insurance, managing risks and making informed choices regarding their insurance purchases. The letter also offers support including the "AHIA agent locator" as a reference for consumers. AHIA has also contacted the governors in the demonstration states volunteering the association as a resource.

As the campaign kick-off nears, AHIA will issue a press release in support of the campaign and provide links to information on www.ahia.net.