Why is the Partnership Program Kept Secret in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin, and most other states, have a program with an incentive to encourage purchase of LTC insurance. It is a form of bribery, actually, and here is how it works:
You purchase a Partnership LTC insurance policy. It must have inflation on the benefit amount to qualify (actually, buying this insurance without inflation is like being handed a gasoline can and $0.29 to fill it up). This policy can be be any size but is especially targeted to people of modest means, people who might not otherwise conside LTC insurance. Many years later the client needs Long Term Care and uses the policy to pay for it. If the policy is exhausted (you choose how many years it will pay for your care), you would apply for state Medicaid.
Medicaid requires you to be impoverished first, spending all assets down to $2000 and allows you to keep only $45/month of your income. Married couple get to keep more so the “at home” spouse has a place to live and food on the table, but this is taken at last death.
Since you collected on a Partnership LTC insurance policy, you do NOT need to spend down to impoverishment. You get a letter from the insurance company stating how much it paid for your care and Wisconsin will “asset ignore” that amount of your assets. Keep them, pass them on to heirs – now or at death, the state will not come after those assets.
You took some responsibility for your care and purchased at least some insurance, and if you use it up the state rewards you for that.
Sounds like a wonderful program, no? Then why does Wisconsin keep it secret? HHS will not even print the brochure describing it. Perhaps Wisconsin has a huge budget surplus, enough to pay for all the baby boomers LTC? I think not. Some states actively promote this program and save money. Texas has an information website of www.OwnYourFutureTexas.org which explains the Partnership prgram and saves money. Why don’t you ask your state representatives why we keep this program secret in Wisconsin?

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