CREW continues to expose Stephen Moses, director of the Center for Long-Term Care Reform, as a shill for the long-term care insurance industry, during his year-long national road show. Mr. Moses is touring the U.S. in the insurance company sponsored "Silver Bullet" -- shown below:

Melanie Sloan had this warning about Mr. Moses and his tour:

The public should be aware as Stephen Moses travels across the country that he is not an independent voice advocating reform, but rather is paid to express the views of the long-term care insurance industry.

On Wednesday, February 13, Moses will be speaking to state legislators in Columbia, SC where he will attend the annual “Day on the Hill” event hosted by the South Carolina Association of Health Underwriters. His full schedule is available here.

In October, 2007, CREW sent a letter to U.S. Senator Grassley (R-IA), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, asking that he initiate an investigation into Moses and his organization, for posing as an independent expert from a respected think tank, rather than his true role as a front man for the long-term care industry. Additionally, this past December, CREW sent letters to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and the National Association of State Medicaid Directors warning them of Mr. Moses’ ties to the long-term care insurance industry in advance of his national tour.

According to his website, www.centerltc.com, Moses has testified as an independent expert on long-term care before two-thirds of the nation’s state legislatures and has been actively working to create legislation to benefit the industry in states throughout the country. Moses is not, however, actually independent.

When Moses launched the Center for Long-Term Care Reform in 1998, he began actively soliciting the industry for contributions, stating “The long-term care insurance industry -- and LTC providers whose financial survival depends on the growth of private financing -- must take steps to encourage private sector solutions. The Center for Long-Term Financing is uniquely positioned to promote this effort.” He also boasted, “The Center increases long-term care insurance sales remarkably,” and “Our established credibility as an independent third-party voice allows us to perform in essential roles that no one else can fill for reasons of perceived bias and self-interest.”

In January, 2008, Moses began a “National Long-Term Care Consciousness Tour.” Details of the tour are available here. Moses has been soliciting corporate and organizational sponsorships to help him make the tour profitable. Part of the purpose of the tour is to make “political contacts with Governors, state legislators, city council members, Congressional representatives, state Insurance Commissioners, Medicaid directors and their staffs toward the end of improving long-term care public policy.” .

By “improving long-term care public policy,” Moses really means working to increase the number of people purchasing long-term care insurance. Moses has blamed government funding of Medicaid for the fact that the long-term care insurance market is not expanding as rapidly as insurers would like.

CREW will continue to expose the actions of Moses as the shill that he is.