Category: Paid Family Medical Leave & Caregiving

We help families to grow and prosper by providing paid family medical leave options to employers and supporting private-sector solutions that further expand access to paid family medical leave for all Americans.

Don’t Criticize Good Ideas to Ensure Retirement Security!

InvestmentNews labeled Sen. Pat Toomey’s proposal to allow American consumers limited access to retirement savings to cover long-term care as one (among other) “ideas to raid retirement savings.”  I don’t see it that way. Long-term care insurance covers caregiving costs due to an inability to perform activities of daily living or cognitive loss. Most Americans who experience such a loss first need care during their golden years. Without long-term care coverage, the cost of that care can wipe out a lifetime of retirement savings in short order.  Long-term care insurance provides funds for caregiving that typically aren’t covered by Medicaid … Continue reading "Don’t Criticize Good Ideas to Ensure Retirement Security!"

How The Life Insurance Industry Is Providing Paid Family and Medical Leave

We need a national solution to help more employers offer paid family and medical leave (PFML). PFML has the attention of leaders on both sides of the aisle and across all sectors because it’s about a basic human desire – the ability to care and be cared for. In the past four years, the number of federal lawmakers supportive of PFML has more than doubled. More than 70 percent of millennial business owners are interested in providing PFML. This month, Congress also took action by including a paid parental leave provision for federal workers in the annual defense authorization bill. … Continue reading "How The Life Insurance Industry Is Providing Paid Family and Medical Leave"

Senators Scrutinize Alzheimer’s, Long-Term Care Insurance Provides Solutions

Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of long-term care insurance claims. Currently an estimated 5.8 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. That number is expected to increase to 14 million by 2050. Today, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee Subcommittee on Health Care chaired by Sen. Pat Toomey held a hearing titled “Alzheimer’s Awareness: Barriers to Diagnosis, Treatment and Care Coordination.”  Sen. Toomey has a proposal to help families pay for long-term care insurance. In a statement for the hearing record, American Council of Life Insurers President and CEO Susan Neely and National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors CEO … Continue reading "Senators Scrutinize Alzheimer’s, Long-Term Care Insurance Provides Solutions"

House Committee Seeks Care Solutions for Aging Americans

More than 43.5 million family caregivers provide unpaid care annually to adults at any given point in time. Health insurance seldom pays for long-term care services and the government provides only limited coverage through Medicare and Medicaid. Many people are unable to save enough on their own to cover the costs of long-term care. Today, the median cost of a one-year stay in a nursing home is $102,200 for a private room. Home care is less expensive but still costly: a visit by a home health aide can cost $4,385 a month. This growing problem has caught Congress’ attention. The … Continue reading "House Committee Seeks Care Solutions for Aging Americans"

Life Insurers Help Millennials Through Every Stage of Life

(A version of this article originally appeared in USA Today for Mediaplanet’s Financial Planning and Insurance Campaign.) Here’s something I’ll bet you didn’t know: The oldest millennials are celebrating their 20th anniversary in the workforce this year. Hard to believe, right? But it’s true. The millennial generation—widely defined as people born between 1981 and 1996—has grown up in a flash. An 18-year-old high school graduate in 1999 who didn’t go to college has been in the workforce for two decades. Indeed, millennials are already the largest generation in the U.S. labor force. As they face big questions over starting families, housing and career advancement, … Continue reading "Life Insurers Help Millennials Through Every Stage of Life"

Extend Family Leave Tax Credit to Help American Families

Did you know that October is National Work and Family Month? Established in 2003 by a Senate resolution, it recognizes the importance of creating more flexible work environments and helping individuals better balance their work-life commitments. A proven way to support working families is through paid family and medical leave benefits (PFML). In fact, 47% of the full-time workforce has access to a short-term disability plan that provides personal medical leave and maternity leave. So, we were heartened to see the Internal Revenue Service as part of its celebration of National Work and Family Month highlight a tax credit that … Continue reading "Extend Family Leave Tax Credit to Help American Families"

Life Insurers Help Ease the Burden on Unpaid Caregivers

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, 59% of seniors will receive unpaid care during their lives, typically for about a year, from a family member. Currently, there are about 34 million unpaid caregivers in the United States who care for someone 50 or older. Helping people take care of the things that matter most is the American Council of Life Insurers’ (ACLI) most critical mission. Paid family medical leave (PFML) through short-term disability benefits and long-term care insurance are vital protections that help individuals and families care for themselves and those they care about most. In fact, … Continue reading "Life Insurers Help Ease the Burden on Unpaid Caregivers"