“Researchers will focus on those whose income or assets are too high for Medicaid eligibility without a ‘spend down’ but are too low to afford life in existing senior living communities, ‘at least for very long,’ Kramer said. NIC believes the information will be useful to capital providers and public policy experts and that public-private partnerships may be required to find solutions related to the housing and care needs of the ‘exploding’ senior population, he added.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): LTC providers are worried about how to reach the same middle-market seniors
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“Today’s report, commissioned as a first step in the process by the [Irish] Department of Health, provides a stark insight into the cost of statutory home care schemes in Scotland, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden. The report reveals: People in Germany and the Netherlands are paying compulsory long-term care insurance and are also liable for means-adjusted co-payments. In Scotland the threshold for access to professional home care has been raised and only people with the highest level of needs are cared for. People are given personal budgets to control costs.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term
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“Clearly, a lot of retirees have investment accounts that are impacted by the RMD rules. And here’s the amazing part: the mathematics of the RMD virtually guarantee that a portfolio cannot be liquidated within 45 years. The required minimum withdrawal may be inadequate to meet the needs of the retiree in the later years, but that is a different matter. On the other hand, the stipulated RMD may be more than the retiree needs to spend that year, so the excess above their needs can be reinvested into a taxable investment account — or simply stuffed in a mattress!” LTC
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“Continuing care retirement communities, also known as life plan communities, are evolving to attract and fulfill the needs of active boomers. From fitness classes to gourmet dining and endless social activities, today’s communities offer more than a place to reside. They offer residents the ability to age in place with opportunities for creative, education and personal exploration.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): I just spent a fine week visiting friends (LTCI producers Sally Leimbach, Honey Leveen and their spouses) at the Shell Point Retirement Community near Ft. Myers, Florida, a magnificent example of
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“U.S. insurers already sell annuities that offer long-term care benefits, and life insurance policies that offer long-term care benefits, or similar benefits. The Long Term Care Innovations Subgroup, a panel of regulators at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, has talked about the possibility of encouraging the creation of other types of hybrids. The subgroup has suggested that an insurance policy could protect consumers against death or disability when they are young, then turn into long-term care insurance once the insureds are old.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): We have different needs at
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“After undergoing surgery, elderly patients often experience cloudy thinking that can last for weeks or even months. At one time researchers thought this cognitive decline might be caused by anesthesia, but mounting evidence suggests that heightened inflammation in the brain following surgery is the more likely cause.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Take away: If you’re applying for LTCI, schedule your Minnesota Cognitive Acuity Screen (MCAS) and/or Enhanced Mental Skills Test (EMST) before, not after, your surgery. Cognitive decline after surgery tied to brain’s own immune cells #goldencareagent
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