This week, we focus on an update about how proposals to convert Medicare into a premium support system could increase costs for seniors and a review from LIMRA and InsuranceNewsNet on a changing trend in the mix of life insurance products owned by households today.
Medicare Premium Support Proposals Could Increase Costs For Today’s Seniors, Despite Assurances | Health Affairs Blog | March 9, 2017
Although President Trump has pledged not to cut Medicare, House Speaker Ryan and others continue to press for fundamental changes to Medicare, including converting it into a premium support system. Under such a system, the government would provide a set, monthly payment on behalf of each eligible person on Medicare to be applied toward the purchase of health insurance, either a private plan or traditional Medicare.
Ownership Tilts to Broader Mix of Life Products | InsuranceNewsNet | March 27, 2017
Among households owning individual life insurance policies, a record 30 percent own a mix of term and permanent life, an increase of 12 percent in six years, a new life insurance trends ownership survey found.
Only 44 percent of households own individual life insurance products of any kind and it is the first time that life insurance owners are more likely to own term than permanent life (68 vs. 62 percent), LIMRA’s 2016 U.S. Individual Life Insurance Trends survey found.