Long term care insurance is an area of great interest to current and future residents of Cornwall Manor. When considering alternatives for making this insurance coverage available, we decided that Cornwall Manor should not sell or endorse specific products.

We concluded that the best option was to find an insurance program that would identify sound insurance companies with experience in long term care, identify important features of long term care insurance policies, and adopt a specific marketing program that prohibits aggressive sales tactics and requires a reasonable evaluation of a person's financial situation prior to selling a policy. We selected Senior Ministries Insurance Alliance (SMIA) to provide this service to our residents.

SMIA has assigned an Insurance Counselor to serve the residents and other constituents of Cornwall Manor who may wish to know more about long term care insurance. The SMIA Counselor visits our campus weekly. While the SMIA Counselor is not an employee or agent of Cornwall Manor, he is accountable to us when dealing with current or prospective residents. This allows ease of access for residents and accountability to Cornwall Manor.

We consider this to be a sound approach because long term care insurance is not for everyone, and all policies are not created equal.

Medicare Supplement Medigap Insurance

Under federal law, all individual Medigap policies must fit into one of ten plans labeled by letter codes "A" through "J". Each plan must cover certain items. This allows a buyer to determine the most appropriate coverage for their needs, match it to a letter code, and then seek competitive prices. Premium costs are determined by a person's age, health, benefits and coverage options selected.

One important point to remember is that Medigap does not replace or duplicate long term care insurance. Both coverages are important but they each have separate and distinct benefits.

Long term care insurance and Medicare supplement insurance are both available through the SMIA Insurance Counselor.

Cornwall Manor's Position

The Cornwall Manor Resident Agreement requires every resident to have Medigap insurance. Long term care insurance is not presently required, but it is a prudent option to consider.

Cornwall Manor does not endorse a particular insurance company or policy for either type of coverage. Availability of the SMIA Counselor on site is offered as a convenience to current and future residents.