Arthur Rudnick
Guru
- 1,652
Use of LTCI lifetime benefits is high, Genworth says
OCT 06, 2014 | BY ALLISON BELL
Genworth Financial Inc. (NYSE:GNW) says consumers have been significantly more likely to use lifetime long-term care insurance (LTCI) benefits than the company expected when it priced the policies.
The company is asking Connecticut for permission to raise rates on four blocks of individual LTCI policies with lifetime benefits.
The policies that could be affected were sold from 1994 through 2003. The rate increase requests would not affect Genworth's other LTCI policies.
Genworth is asking for an increase averaging 17.3 percent for 4,900 policies sold in Connecticut from 2002 through 2005; 22.5 percent for 4,700 policies sold in the state from 1998 to 2003; 39 percent for 1,100 policies sold from 1988 to 1998; and 27.4 percent for 600 policies sold in Connecticut from 1994 to 2003.
The company would phase the bigger increases in over three years, and it would offer options consumers could use to hold premium levels steady.
Genworth notes that it earlier asked for 35 percent increases for limited-benefit-period policies and 88 percent increases for policies with lifetime limits. Connecticut approved a 40 percent increases for all of the policies in 2013. Genworth is now making subsequent requests for additional increases just for the policies with lifetime benefits, the company says.
OCT 06, 2014 | BY ALLISON BELL
Genworth Financial Inc. (NYSE:GNW) says consumers have been significantly more likely to use lifetime long-term care insurance (LTCI) benefits than the company expected when it priced the policies.
The company is asking Connecticut for permission to raise rates on four blocks of individual LTCI policies with lifetime benefits.
The policies that could be affected were sold from 1994 through 2003. The rate increase requests would not affect Genworth's other LTCI policies.
Genworth is asking for an increase averaging 17.3 percent for 4,900 policies sold in Connecticut from 2002 through 2005; 22.5 percent for 4,700 policies sold in the state from 1998 to 2003; 39 percent for 1,100 policies sold from 1988 to 1998; and 27.4 percent for 600 policies sold in Connecticut from 1994 to 2003.
The company would phase the bigger increases in over three years, and it would offer options consumers could use to hold premium levels steady.
Genworth notes that it earlier asked for 35 percent increases for limited-benefit-period policies and 88 percent increases for policies with lifetime limits. Connecticut approved a 40 percent increases for all of the policies in 2013. Genworth is now making subsequent requests for additional increases just for the policies with lifetime benefits, the company says.
