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Citing a dramatic upswing in the population of aging Americans, the book, published by the IFEBP, takes dead aim at the financial shortfall that bedevils current state and federal programs and threatens emerging plans. The work also examines a variety of innovative solutions, including plans where employers would provide group long-term care plans as an employee benefit.

"If we act now and invest for the future in group long-term care, we can avoid the coming crisis," says author Jonathan Shreve. "Most older Americans are not planning for long-term care, but employers can offer this sustainable safety net for a comparable cost to current dental benefits. This needs to be a national priority," Shreve concluded.

True Group Long-Term Care offers a comprehensive guide for employers, state governments, the insurance industry and nursing homes. It includes:

-- The benefits of sponsoring a group long-term care plan

-- The difference between true group long-term care and voluntary long-term care benefits

-- Advice for designing a successful and cost-efficient plan

-- The use of vesting and waiting periods, employee education & tax implications

-- Funding alternatives to fully-insured plans

-- Risk selection and cost comparisons of various plan designs

Author Jonathan Shreve is a principal in the Denver office of Milliman, where he leads the health practice he founded in 1992. Mr. Shreve has been a long-term care consultant since 1988 and has assisted clients in product design and pricing and in valuing blocks of long-term care business. He is a fellow in the Society of Actuaries and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

Co-author Jill Van Den Bos, also located in the Denver office, is a consultant in Milliman's health practice. She joined the firm in 1992 and has been a long-term care consultant for most of that time. Ms. Van Den Bos assists clients in the pricing and design of long-term care policies and has published a number of articles on long-term care and pharmacoeconomics.

Milliman, whose corporate offices are in Seattle, serves the full spectrum of business, financial, government and union organizations. Founded in 1947 as Milliman & Robertson, the company has 32 offices in the United States as well as offices in Bermuda, Hong Kong, London, Madrid, Mexico City, Milan, Sao Paulo, Seoul and Tokyo. Milliman employs approximately 1,800 people, including a professional staff of more than 800 qualified consultants and actuaries. The firm has consulting practices in employee benefits, healthcare, life insurance/financial services, and property & casualty insurance. It is a founding member of Milliman Global, an international organization of consulting firms serving insurance, employee benefits and healthcare clients worldwide. For further information, visit www.milliman.com

Jonathan Shreve will be signing copies of True Group Long-Term Care at the IFEBP Conference on Thursday, December 2nd at 12:15pm in the Registrations Area of Hall 1 at the Morial Convention Center, New Orleans.

For further information, visit the Milliman conference team at booth #601.

To request a review copy of True Group Long-Term Care, please contact jon.shreve@milliman.com or jill.vandenbos@milliman.com or call 303-299-9400. The book can be purchased through the IFEBP by contacting: Erin Schlitz at 262-786-6710, ext. 8462, email: erins@ifebp.org Member's price: $37.00, non-members: $45.00.