To help consumers understand the affordability of cancer insurance and critical illness insurance, an online calculator has been introduced by the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance.

"Cost is always a critical factor when consumers are considering a purchase and that's especially true with insurance products today," states Jesse Slome, director of the critical illness insurance organization.   "The Association's new cost calculator will appear at the very top of almost every page on our new website and provide instant costs for $10,000 of cancer insurance."

The critical illness insurance cost calculator merely requires the consumer enter their sex, age and whether they are a smoker or non-smoker.  "There is no personal information needed to immediately see the cost," Slome explains.  "The cost appears immediately and we don't ask or want to gather any personal information.  We merely are striving to show consumers how affordable this important coverage can be."

Slome noted that the decision to show the cost for $10,000 of cancer insurance was made to be most beneficial to the largest number of young adults.  "For millions of Americans between the ages of 35 and 55, cancer is the critical illness they are most likely to have prior to reaching age 65 to 70," Slome shares.   "The average critical illness insurance policy purchased today is around $15,000 in benefits, so the modest policy seemed to make the most sense.  Obviously, if someone wants more coverage, they can easily estimate what their potential cost might be."

The critical illness insurance cost calculator is designed to demonstrate the affordability of cancer insurance and encourage consumers to seek actual pricing for coverage options.   "When consumers hear they can purchase cancer insurance protection for the cost of one or two cups of coffee a month, they'll be interested enough to take the next steps to learn more,:" Slome predicts.

The calculator revealed that a male, age 45 who does not use tobacco could pay as little as $48 a year for $10,000 of cancer insurance.  A female, age 45 who uses tobacco would pay $108 yearly for the same level of insurance.  "I chose to show smoker and non-smoker rates because it shows the numbers most fairly," Slome adds.  "When rates are the same for both, the non-smokers are more or less subsidizing some of the added risk of insuring smokers."

To learn more and access the critical illness insurance cost calculator, visit the Association's website at www.criticalillnessinsuranceinfo.org.

Jesse Slome is founder and director of the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance, headquartered in Westlake Village, California.  Slome also heads up the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance as well as the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance.

More Seniors Surviving Cancer Adds To Long-Term Care Crisis

Over the next decade there will be a dramatic rise in the number of people over the age of 65 either living with cancer or with a history of the disease according to a new study.

According to an analysis of US cancer data, the greying of the baby boomer generation is at the root of the issue.  "Americans are already living longer lives and that will create a long-term care tsunami in the years to come," explains Jesse Slome, executive director of the Los Angeles-based American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.  "Because long-term care insurance can only be purchased when you can medically qualify, the tsunami will wreak havoc on family savings and state Medicaid welfare budgets."

National Cancer Institute (NCI) researchers found the number of people over age 65 with cancer will rise by about 42% in the next decade.  Cancer is largely a disease of aging, the researchers noted. 

The scientists analyzed data the revealed that in 1971, the number of people in the US who had survived cancer was about 3 million.   By 2008, the figure had risen to nearly 12 million.  In 2008, the proportion of cancer survivors aged 65 and over was 60% and is set to reach 63% by 2020.

The most commonly diagnosed cancers among survivors were: female breast cancer (22% of diagnoses), prostate cancer (20%), and colorectal cancer (9%).

The high rate of survival among this population is most likely due to improved detection and screening.

In contrast, the percentage of lung cancer survivors is only 3%, despite it being by far the most frequently diagnosed cancer in both men and women.

"When you live a long life and now are even more likely to survive diseases like cancer, you are increasingly likely to need costly long term care, states Slome.   "With more Americans living into their 80s and beyond, having a long term care plan in place is more important than ever."

Financial planning experts note that most people wait too long to consider their options because the right time to plan is prior to turning age 65 before medical conditions like cancer, high blood pressure are diagnosed or become problematic.  "The sweet spot for long term care insurance is between ages 52 and 64," Slome adds.

For more information on long term care insurance, visit the Association's Consumer Information center where you can also access long term care insurance companies ratings.

Just 15 Minutes Of Exercise Increases Life Expectency By Three Years

New research reports that just 15 minutes of daily physical activity can reduce your risk of death by 14 percent and increase your life expectancy by three years.

The current generally accepted recommendations call for adults to do at least 150 minutes, or a total of 2.5 hours, of physical activity weekly.

Researchers releasing the findings of their new study found that doing even less than that, only a quarter-hour of daily exercise or about 105 minutes a week still provides benefits.

The study included more than 390,000 residents of  Taiwan.  Researchers followed these individuals for an average of eight years and, based on self-reported amounts of weekly exercise, placed them into five categories.

People in the low-activity group, the scientists explained, exercised for an average of 92 minutes per week, or just under 15 minutes a day.   Compared to those categorized as being in the inactive group, individuals who did almost no physical activity, those in the low-activity group were 14 percent less likely to die from any cause, 10 percent less likely to die of cancer, and had a three-year longer life expectancy, on average.

Every additional 15 minutes of daily exercise beyond the minimum 15 minutes further reduced the risk of all-cause death by 4 percent and the risk of cancer death by 1 percent.

"The research is welcome news for millions of Americans who would benefit from even a minimum amount of exercise," suggests Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance http://www.aaltci.org.  "Death from heart disease, diabetes and cancer could be reduced and lifespans can be lengthened, though this means people will need to plan for living a long life."

The American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance  http://www.aaltci.org is the national trade organization focused on educating individuals about the importance of long-term care planning.  The Association's Consumer Information Center was voted the #1 source for information by consumer interest group rating and can be accessed at http://www.aaltci.org/long-term-care-insurance.

Cancer Death Rate Declines Will Create Greater Long-Term Care Need

A steady decline in overall cancer death rates among America's aging adult population will create added stress on the long-term care needs of seniors.

Medical advances and better lifestyles among the aging population appears to have saved 898,000 deaths from cancer between 1990 and 2007.  According to the latest statistics presented today by the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance, this is both good and bad news for the primary targets of cancer - senior citizens.

"When you live a long life, the risk of needing costly long-term care services is great," explains Jesse Slome, AALTCI executive director.  "When you live a longer life, the risk and cost will be even greater.  More Americans will need home care and nursing home care services.  Medicare which pays for cancer treatments for millions of seniors does not cover the long term health care costs associated with aging, or pays very little of them," Slome notes.  "Millions of senior or aging baby boomers have no plan in place and will be quite surprised by the outcome."

Progress in the survival rate of those once impacted by cancer has not benefited all segments of the population equally.  According to researchers, cancer death rates for individuals with the least education are more than twice those of the most educated.

Cancer death rates according to the American Cancer Society are still declining in the U.S., but some are declining faster than others -- and cancer remains the leading cause of death for Americans younger than 85.

In it's yearly report they estimated that 1,596,670 new cancer diagnoses and more than 570,000 cancer deaths are expected to occur this year.

Slome shared that death rates fell by about 22% for men and 14% for women between 1990 and 2007. Since the early 2000’s, the decline has been 1.9% a year in men and 1.5% each year in women.  Better early detection and better treatment as well as reduced tobacco use over the past half-century that helped turned the tide in cancer-related deaths.

The long term care insurance Association recently reported that some 500,000 Americans would apply for insurance coverage this year.  "That is certainly an indication that responsible people understand they need to have a plan in place," Slome adds.  The Association will launch a monthlong effort to provide free long-term care insurance cost comparisons for consumers.  Click here to request a free long term care insurance cost comparison or visit their website at http://www.aaltci.org/free-quote/.