John Hancock's Enhanced Flagship Long-Term Care Insurance Product Available in Additional States

John Hancock's Enhanced Flagship Long-Term Care Insurance Product Available in
Additional States
'Custom Care II Enhanced' features broad range of innovative benefits

BOSTON, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- John Hancock Life Insurance Company
(John Hancock) announced that the latest version of its flagship long-term
care (LTC) insurance policy, Custom Care II Enhanced is now available in
Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon and Vermont. The policy offers new, innovative
benefits, several of which were developed with baby boomers in mind, such as
Caregiver Support Services, which provides policyholders and their uncovered
family members with access to provider discounts, care provider quality
reports, and expert advice when they are called on to be caregivers or care
planners for aging parents, spouses, partners, children, and relatives, and
CPI Compound Inflation, which provides a more affordable compound inflation
option that links annual benefit increases to changes in the Consumer Price
Index (CPI).

The company has also added new consumer protection provisions to the policy,
in an effort to give clients the reassurance they need at the time of purchase
and the time of claim. These include:

-- Alternate Services Benefit, which recognizes emerging care services
-- Independent Third-Party Review, which gives policyholders additional
assurances during the claims process
-- Timely Payment of Claims, which provides policyholders with guarantees
in case of delays in claims payment processing
-- Lifestyle Benefit Changes, which provides the flexibility to adjust
policy coverage up or down when needs change

-- Contingent Nonforfeiture, which has been enhanced on Limited Pay
policies

"It is our goal to provide today's buyers, who are typically in their 50s,
with affordable, comprehensive and relevant LTC insurance coverage," said
Marianne Harrison, President of John Hancock Long-Term Care Insurance. "This
new product offering increases the value to a policyholder by providing
benefits that can be accessed at any time on behalf of parents and family
members and is both affordable and relevant, especially in today's
environment. As well, our new consumer protection package will assure
consumers that our promise to them is secure."

The new policy is currently available in all states except California,
Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, and Tennessee.

About John Hancock Long-Term Care Insurance
John Hancock is one of the largest providers of LTC insurance overall with
more than 1,000,000 LTC insurance clients and $1.5 billion of in-force LTC
insurance premium.(1) The company holds $9.4 billion in LTC insurance reserves
for future claims(2) and has paid $2.2 billion in LTC claims.(3) Having
entered the retail LTC insurance market in 1987, John Hancock is one of the
largest carriers of individual coverage in the country.(4) John Hancock began
selling group LTC insurance in 1988 and today is the largest provider of
employer-sponsored group LTC insurance in the U.S.(5) More information about
long-term care issues and insurance products can be found at
www.johnhancockLTC.com.

(1) As of December 31, 2008, according to internal financial records.
(2) As of December 31, 2008, according to internal financial records inclusive
of active and claims reserves for individual and group long-term care
insurance.
(3) Based on John Hancock internal data as of 12/31/08. Total includes
individual and group long-term care insurance and 50% of the Federal Long Term
Care Insurance Program.
(4) LIMRA International, U.S. Individual Long-Term Care Insurance Sales
Survey, Fourth Quarter YTD 2008.
(5) LIMRA International, U. S. Group Long-Term Care Insurance Sales Survey,
Fourth Quarter YTD 2008.

About John Hancock and Manulife Financial
Manulife Financial is a leading Canadian-based financial services group
serving millions of customers in 22 countries and territories worldwide.
Operating as Manulife Financial in Canada and Asia, and primarily through John
Hancock in the United States, the Company offers clients a diverse range of
financial protection products and wealth management services through its
extensive network of employees, agents and distribution partners. Funds under
management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were Cdn$421 billion
(US$362 billion) as of June 30, 2009. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as
'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '945' on the SEHK. Manulife
Financial can be found on the Internet at www.manulife.com.

The John Hancock unit, through its insurance companies, comprises one of the
largest life insurers in the United States. John Hancock offers a broad range
of financial products and services, including life insurance, fixed and
variable annuities, fixed products, mutual funds, 401(k) plans, long-term care
insurance, college savings, and other forms of business insurance. Additional
information about John Hancock may be found at www.johnhancock.com.

Long-term care insurance is underwritten by John Hancock Life Insurance
Company, Boston, MA 02117 and in New York by John Hancock Life & Health
Insurance Company, Boston, MA 02117.

SOURCE John Hancock Long-Term Care Insurance

Melissa Berczuk for John Hancock Long-Term Care Insurance, +1-617-663-4750,
mberczuk@jhancock.com