Good news!! Last week Governor Brown signed Senate Bill 575, which brings in new consumer protections around long-term care insurance. The new law protects consumers, specifically the elderly and their caregivers by requiring long-term care insurers to provide annual notification of the availability of nonforfeiture benefits and contingent benefits to the insured and the insured’s designated backup contact. This is helpful when elders who have lapsed on a policy long ago may not remember they still have benefits they can use years later.
Another victory is the passage of Assembly Bill 332. This bill establishes a Long Term Care Insurance Task Force in the Department of Insurance, chaired by the Insurance Commissioner or his or her designee. The task force will be composed of specified stakeholders and representatives of government agencies charged with examining the components necessary to design and implement a statewide long-term care insurance program and presenting their recommendations to the Governor no later than July 1, 2018.
California Health Advocates, and especially our Training and Policy Specialist, Bonnie Burns did much advocacy work to get these bills passed! Thank you, Bonnie!!!
See the full press release on the California Department of Insurance website for more information on SB 575.
