THE MEDIA REALITY CHECK: A Content Analysis of Recent News Coverage of Long-Term Care Ins urance
Presented by: David Michaelson, Ph.D. OBJECTIVE
} Evaluate coverage of long-term care insurance in major consumer media by determining:
¾ Overall accuracy of coverage
¾ Misstatements
¾ Incomplete information
¾ IliInclusion of fbift basic facts
¾ Omission of basic facts
2 METHODOLOGY
} Content analysis of articles on long-term care insurance appearing in major media from January 1, 2002 through June 30, 2004
} Analysis based on codes organized around three areas:
¾ Basic facts about long-term care insurance
¾ Misstatements about long-term care insurance
¾ Omissions of basic facts about long-term care insurance
3 METHODOLOGY
} Codes cover seven basic categories
¾ Definition of Long-Term Care
¾ Definition of Long-term Care Insurance
¾ Qualifications for Long-Term Care Insurance
¾ Benefits of Long-Term Care Insurance
¾ Purchase Considerations
¾ Product Features
¾ Costs of Long-Term Care Insurance } Codes developpgyed in consultation with leading industry experts, including experts at MetLife
} Codes refined upon of review of articles
} CdiCoding done in “con tex t”ft” of eac h ar tilticle to ensure balanced and fair evaluation of content 4 METHODOLOGY
} Articles identified through “key word” search of Factiva database
¾ Boolean search string using “‘long term care AND insurance’ OR ‘assisted living AND insurance’ OR ‘nursing home AND insurance’” was basis of search
¾ 295 articles met initial search criteria
¾ Search supplemented with review of select publication webitbsites to assure accuracy and comp ltleteness
} Each article abstract reviewed for content to ensure relevance to analysis
} 320 articles qualified for full review yielding 114 articles specifically focusing on long-term care insurance
5 MEDIA SOURCES
Wire Services Magazines
} } AP Online Business Week
} Consumer Reports } Associated Press Newswires
} Fortune } Dow Jones Business News } FbForbes } Dow Jones Newswires } Kiplinger’s Personal Finance } Reuters News } Kiplinger’s Retirement Report
} Modern Maturity (AARP)
} Money Magazine
} Newsweek
} SmartMoney
} Time
} U.S. News & World Report
6 MEDIA SOURCES Newspapers
} Arizona Republic } Newark Star-Ledger
} Atlanta Journal-Constitution } Newsday (N.Y.)
} Boston Globe } New York Post
} Chicago Sun-Times } New York Times
} Chicago Tribune } Philadelphia Inquirer
} Cleveland Plain Dealer } Portland Oregonian
} Daily New s (N. Y. ) } San Diego Union-Tribune
} Dallas Morning News } San Francisco Chronicle
} Detroit Free Press } Seattle Post-Intelligencer
} Houston Chronicle } St. Petersburg Times
} Los Angeles Times } Wall Street Journal
} Miami Herald } Washington Post
} Minneapolis Star-Tribune } USA Today 7 MEDIA SOURCES Number of Articles Per Year
} Trend over past 3 NbNumber of fAtilOL Articles On Long-Term years shows Care Insurance Each Year increasing coverage 60 58 of long -term care 50 46 39 insurance 40
¾ 26% increase 30
since 2002 20
10
0 2002 2003 2004 (annualized)
8 ANALYSIS
} Examples of basic facts used in the analysis include:
¾ Individuals who need long-term care need help with the Activities of Daily Living (ADLs).
¾ Long-term care services are delivered in a variety of places such as a nursing home, in your home, an assisted living facility, an adult day care center and a hospice facility.
¾ Long-term care insurance is one method of providing funds to ppyay for lon g-term care services.
¾ The older you are, the more likely that you will need long- term care.
¾ The time to plan for long-term care is before you need it.
¾ Long-term care insurance helps individuals protect their financial assets.
¾ Long-term care insu rance helps prov ide individ uals w ith dignity and choice to maintain a certain lifestyle. 9 OVERALL RESULTS Gaps In Coverage OVERALL RESULTS Gaps In Coverage
} Over eight in ten PtiOfAtilCtiiProportion Of Articles Containing (85%) articles have One or More Errors or Omissions Misstatement, or Omission of Basic Fact gaps that need to NENo Errors or O Oimissi ons be filled 15%
Contains Errors or Omissions 85%
11 OVERALL RESULTS Gaps In Coverage
Distribution of Errors & Omissions } The basic definitions of Byygy Category long-term care and
long-term care Product Consideration 11% insurance as well as the Benefits of LTC Product Features 27% 4% Costs of LTC bfititdithbenefits associated with 4% these products are the Define LTC most common 19% categories where errors and omissions occurred Qualifications for LTC 15% Define LTC insurance 19%
12 OVERALL RESULTS Gaps In Coverage
} Cittt&iiCommon misstatements & omissions are centered on the need for and bfitflbenefits of long-titerm care insurance.
13 WHAT WE LEARNED Gaps In Coverage
Most Commonly Reported Gaps in Coverage About Long -Term Care Insurance Proportion of Articles Containing Each Error or Omission
MISSTATEMENTS All LTC insurance is expensive 9% Only needed with chronic conditions 5% Most will never need LTC insurance 4% OMISSIONS LTC insurance helps protect assets 37% LTC insurance can help pay for LTC services 35% LTC insurance is one method of funding LTC services 34% LTC insurance helps maintain lifestyles 28% LTC insurance helps with Activities of Daily Living 25% 6 basic activities of daily living 21% LTC differs from acute care 20%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
14 WHAT WE LEARNED Gaps In Coverage
Proportion of Articles Omitting Basic Facts } Omissions of basic About Long-Term Care Insurance vs. facts are significantly Contains Misstatement
more prevalent than 100%
82% thilithe inclusion o f 80% misstatements 60%
¾ 21% contain a misstatement 40% 21% 20% ¾ This compares to 82%
omitting a bas ic fac t 0% Omit Basic Facts Contains Misstatement
15 OBSERVATIONS & CONCLUSIONS OBSERVATIONS & CONCLUSIONS
} Americans need basic information on long-term care insurance that is not commonly reported in articles
¾ The definition of what long-term care insurance is
¾ The benefits long-term care insurance offers
17 OBSERVATIONS & CONCLUSIONS
} Americans also need to know:
¾ The benefits of long-term care insurance are more than just financial and include emotional and lifestyle benefits for themselves as well as their families
¾ MdiidiMedicaid is not a pract ilical so lilution for many people who need basic assistance with Activities of Daily Living
¾ Acute care insurance will not pay for long- term care needs
18 THE MEDIA REALITY CHECK:
A Content Analysis of Recent News Coverage of Long-Term Care Insurance
Presented by: David Michaelson |