NFL to Pay LTC Premiums

The NFL has agreed to pay long-term care insurance premiums for retired players, according to a league announcement. The agreement was signed with Transamerica Life Insurance Company and will cover the premium for those who are eligible retirees.

The NFL claims that an average of 120 former players die each year each year and many pass due to the lack of long-term health care.

No doubt that the whole concussion issue spurred some of this on. And I say good for the players. But it also plays to the continued disparity between the haves and have nots. Because let’s face it. Few if any employees would be so generous. So what about us?

My personal belief is that the CLASS Act is not the answer. It is a voluntary benefit and still costs a substantial amount out of pocket. So while the NFL players can rest easy knowing that their long-term care costs are covered, many of the rest of us will be blind-sided by the heavy blow of the financial burden that we neither anticipated or planned for – a real knockout punch.