17. EXPENSES ASSOCIATED WITH LONG-DURATION INSURANCE PRODUCTS

Premiums associated with our long-duration insurance products accounted for approximately 2% of our consolidated premiums and services revenue for the year ended December 31, 2013. We use long-duration accounting for products such as long-term care, life insurance, annuities, and certain health and other supplemental policies sold to individuals because they are expected to remain in force for an extended period beyond one year and because premium received in the earlier years is intended to pay anticipated benefits to be incurred in future years. As a result, we defer policy acquisition costs, primarily consisting of commissions, and amortize them over the estimated life of the policies in proportion to premiums earned.

In addition, we establish reserves for future policy benefits in recognition of the fact that some of the premium received in the earlier years is intended to pay anticipated benefits to be incurred in future years. At policy issuance, these reserves are recognized on a net level premium method based on interest rates, mortality, morbidity, and maintenance expense assumptions. The assumptions used to determine the liability for future policy benefits are established and locked in at the time each contract is issued and only change if our expected future experience deteriorates to the point that the level of the liability, together with the present value of future gross premiums, are not adequate to provide for future expected policy benefits and maintenance costs (i.e. the loss recognition date).

The table below presents deferred acquisition costs and future policy benefits payable associated with our long-duration insurance products for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012.


	2013					2012
	Deferred acquisition costs		Future policy benefits payable			Deferred acquisition costs		Future policy benefits payable
	(in millions)
Other long-term assets	$	166	$	0		$	149	$	0
Trade accounts payable and accrued expenses		0		(67	)		0		(63	)
Long-term liabilities		0		(2,207	)		0		(1,858	)

Total asset (liability)	$	166	$	(2,274	)	$	149	$	(1,921	)

In addition, future policy benefits payable include amounts of $215 million at December 31, 2013 and $220 million at December 31, 2012 which are subject to 100% coinsurance agreements as more fully described in Note 18.

Benefits expense associated with future policy benefits payable was $354 million in 2013, $136 million in 2012, and $114 million in 2011. Benefits expense for 2013 included net charges of $243 million associated with our closed block of long-term care insurance policies discussed further below. Amortization of deferred acquisition costs included in operating costs was $55 million in 2013, $44 million in 2012, and $34 million in 2011.

Future policy benefits payable include $1.4 billion at December 31, 2013 and $1.1 billion at December 31, 2012 associated with a non-strategic closed block of long-term care insurance policies acquired in connection with the 2007 acquisition of KMG. Future policy benefits payable includes amounts charged to accumulated other comprehensive income for an additional liability that would exist on our closed-block of long-term care insurance policies if unrealized gains on the sale of the investments backing such products had been realized and the proceeds reinvested at then current yields. There was no additional liability at December 31, 2013 and $119 million of additional liability at December 31, 2012. Amounts charged to accumulated other comprehensive income are net of applicable deferred taxes.

Long-term care insurance policies provide nursing home and home health coverage for which premiums are collected many years in advance of benefits paid, if any. Therefore, our actual claims experience will emerge many years after assumptions have been established. The risk of a deviation of the actual interest, morbidity, mortality, and maintenance expense assumptions from those assumed in our reserves are particularly significant to our closed block of long-term care insurance policies. We monitor the loss experience of these long-term care insurance policies and, when necessary, apply for premium rate increases through a regulatory filing and approval process in the jurisdictions in which such products were sold. To the extent premium rate increases and/or loss experience vary from our loss recognition date assumptions, future adjustments to reserves could be required.

During 2013, we recorded a loss for a premium deficiency. The premium deficiency was based on current and anticipated experience that had deteriorated from our locked-in assumptions from the previous December 31, 2010 loss recognition date, particularly as they related to emerging experience due to an increase in life expectancies and utilization of home health care services. Based on this deterioration, and combined with lower interest rates, we determined that our existing future policy benefits payable, together with the present value of future gross premiums, associated with our closed block of long-term care insurance policies were not adequate to provide for future policy benefits and maintenance costs under these policies; therefore we unlocked and modified our assumptions based on current expectations. Accordingly, during 2013 we recorded $243 million of additional benefits expense, with a corresponding increase in future policy benefits payable of $350 million partially offset by a related reinsurance recoverable of $107 million included in other long-term assets.

During 2012, we recorded a change in estimate associated with future policy benefits payable for our closed-block of long-term care insurance policies resulting in additional benefits expense of $29 million. This change in estimate was based on current claim experience demonstrating an increase in the length of the time policyholders already in payment status remained in such status. Future policy benefits payable was increased to cover future payments to policyholders currently in payment status.

Deferred acquisition costs included $66 million and $62 million associated with our individual commercial medical policies at December 31, 2013 and December 31, 2012, respectively. Future policy benefits payable associated with our individual commercial medical policies were $327 million at December 31, 2013 and $282 million at December 31, 2012. As discussed in Note 2, beginning in 2014, health policies sold to individuals that conform to the Health Care Reform Law will be accounted for under a short-duration model because premiums received in the current year are intended to pay anticipated benefits in that year.