John Alden Long Term Care

Company is unscrupulous and quite devious in the craftinbg of its policies, primarily to facilitate claim rejection.

My wife and I purchased a long term nursing care policy from them in 1995 and faithfully paid the premiums for 28 years. In August 2023, on our doctor's recommendation, we both entered a long term nursing care facility which meets all Missouri state requirements for such a facility. Residents here are supported by long term nursing care policies from multiple companies. Personal physicians or an on-call physician (residents' choice), supervise the patients care, and there is a 24 hour nurses station staffed with Licensed Practical Nurses. Because all the required nursing is either intermediate or custodial, (unskilled within our policy's definition), there is no physician or registered nurse (RN) on staff. However, the policy was still written to require an on-staff physician and RN supervision of the unskilled nursing. At the time we purchased the policy through a trusted financial planner and friend, we had no idea that the policy actually included provisions that literally exceeded state requirements. However, John Alden obviously did, because when I submitted my claim, I was advised by the claim adjuster that he didn't think any assisted living facility in Missouri would meet our policy requirements. The facility we are in is an assisted living and memory care facility and meets all the state requirements for a long term nursing care facility. However, it is quite probable that John Alden was well aware when it crafted its policies that deliberately inserting requirements exceeding the state's would make it close to, if not impossible, for the policy holder to locate a policy compliant facility, especially many years in the future. They appear to have an inordinate number of lawsuits filed against them, and a less than desirable business rating. Twenty eight years ago I foolishly trusted a friend and business associate. My present advice to anyone considering a policy for any type of insurance from John Alden is to do a LOT of research before you make any type of commitment, and then do a lot more. I don't think they deserve to be in business, but I'm not saying they couldn't surprise me. However, at my age, 90, that would probably finish me.

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