State Senator Kelly Appointed to 
Life Insurance Policy Conversion to Long Term Care Task Force

HARTFORD – State Senate Kevin Kelly (R-21) has been appointed to the Life Insurance Policy Conversion to Long Term Care Task Force.

Senator Kelly, one of nine members on the task force, will study ways to encourage individuals to purchase long- term care policies such as, to allow an insured individual with a life insurance policy or a contract holder of an annuity to convert such policy or annuity to a long-term care policy. Additionally, the task force will look into the implications of requiring life insurance companies to notify their policyholders of the option to enter into a life settlement contract as an alternative to the lapse or surrender of a life insurance policy.

“I am honored by the appointment to this task force,” said Senator Kelly. “I have long advocated for initiatives to create effective ways to increase long-term care for people, and in particular, our state’s senior population. My hope is that the task force will support this conversion process and find that investing personal income into a long-term care policy earlier will ease the costs associated with insurance, and ultimately help the state reduce future Medicaid costs which is a benefit to all taxpayers.”

Pursuant to Special Act 11-13, the task force will include appointed members of the General Assembly as well as the Insurance Commissioner or his/her appointee. The task force will be responsible for submitting a report with findings to the General Assembly’s Insurance Committee by January 1, 2012.

Senate Minority Leader John McKinney, who appointed Senator Kelly, applauded the senator’s long-standing efforts to support long-term care saying, “Senator Kelly’s background in elder law and his expertise demonstrated on the legislature’s Insurance Committee will aid this task force in completing its job. I look forward to their findings and thank Senator Kelly for his efforts.”