Senator Grassley, the top republican on the senate finance committee, sent a letter to the nation’s largest providers of long-term care insurance requesting information on claim processing.  The stated goal of the request is to learn how the sector is addressing claims under such policies.

The letter follows Sen. Grassley’s April 2007 request that the Government Accountability Office conduct a review of the long-term care insurance industry.  A New York Times article on the subject prompted the April 2007 request.  Sen. Grassley also said that he is asking providers for this information based in part on the response he received recently from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners to questions about trends in the industry.

Sen. Grassley said, “Preparing for long-term care needs can make a big difference in both the quality of life for individuals and the solvency of Medicaid … Long-term care insurance products are fairly new to the marketplace, so it’s important that policy makers continue to assess how they are working to meet needs and how their success is affecting public programs.”