If the President and other elected officials are going to neglect the needs of seniors, insurance professionals should take action recommends the director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (AALTCI), a national trade organization.

"The failure to focus attention on the long-term care crisis already impacting millions of Americans continues to amaze and perplex me," declared Jesse Slome, AALTCI's director.  "The closest we came to any kind of attention was the recent CLASS Act, which the government walked away from in the middle of the night.  It's been years since I've heard any elected official speak seriously about the issue."  Slome was addressing issues facing the long-term care insurance marketplace as part of a President's Day talk.

 "Throwing the burden onto families and communities and kicking the can down the road are not viable solutions," Slome explained.   The national long-term care insurance planning advocate noted that it was the responsibility of those with a stake in the game to take action.   He noted that long-term care insurance, which provides protection to roughly eight million Americans was a small but important piece of the puzzle.

"One thing is for certain, Americans are going to be a day older tomorrow than they are today," Slome added.  "That means millions will be one day closer to the point where they require long-term care and someone is going to have to provide it or pay for it.  As a society we are woefully prepared for that inevitability."

Slome shared that he was optimistic that some action will be seen in the future.  "There are too many groups representing seniors like AARP who will undoubtedly lobby for solutions," he noted.  "And maybe one day we'll even see a Presidential candidate who'll raise this as an issue.  I challenge all to keep the issue top of mind and to encourage political figures to take a position on the subject."

To learn more about long-term care insurance costs and planning options call the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance at 818-597-3227 or visit the organization's website at www.aaltci.org to find LTC insurance professionals.