“U.S. government sets 3.40 percent hike in 2019 payments to Medicare insurers,” by Bill Berkrot and Caroline Humer, Reuters Quote: “The U.S. government on Monday said it would increase by 3.40 percent on average 2019 payments to the health insurers that manage Medicare Advantage insurance plans for seniors and the disabled, a higher-than-expected rise reflecting a projection of higher medical cost growth. The rate, which affects how much insurers charge for monthly healthcare premiums, plan benefits and, ultimately, how much they profit, represents an increase over the 1.84 percent increase proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
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“’Aggressive’ advance directive would allow patients to decline food, water at end of dementia battle,” by Kimberly Marselas, McKnight’s LTC News Quote: “A New York group that supports aid-in-dying has approved a new document allowing patients to record in advance that they’ll want to stop eating and drinking if they develop severe dementia. … Now questions are swirling about the directive’s legal standing, and if it is determined legal after almost-certain court battles, whether private facilities would agree to accept it.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform):  That’s one way to reduce long-term care. Aggressive’
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“Automatic Adjustments Within Entitlement Programs: A Look at the Swedish Pension Reform Model,” by James C. Capretta, American Enterprise Institute Quote: “The United States has significant fiscal challenges due to population aging. While the finances of all advanced economies are under pressure from similar demographic trends, some countries have responded more aggressively and creatively to the problem than have US political leaders. In 1998, Sweden enacted a reform of its public pension system that combines a defined-contribution approach with a traditional pay-as-you-go financing structure. The new system includes better work incentives and is more transparent to participants. It is also
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“How much do retirees really depend on Social Security? Far less than you’d think,” by Andrew G. Biggs, American Enterprise Institute Quote: “The reality is that relatively few retirees – only about one in seven – receive all or nearly all of their income from Social Security. Others are far less dependent on the program. That doesn’t mean we can slash benefits indiscriminately to restore Social Security’s solvency; see here for how I would do it. But it does mean we shouldn’t let inaccurate data inform our decisions on how to fix Social Security.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center
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“Why Are the New Hybrid LTC Policies So Popular?,” by Romeo Raabe, ThinkAdvisor Quote: “Hybrid insurance policies for long-term care (LTC) are very popular and becoming more so each year. Let’s look at some of the reasons why.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform):  Brand new piece by Center for Long-Term Care Reform member, Romeo Raabe. Why Are the New Hybrid LTC Policies So Popular? #hybrid #goldencareagent
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“Medicare’s condition-specific readmission measures are poor reflectors of hospital quality,” by Caitlyn Hui and Deepti Shroff, 2 Minute Medicine Quote: “Medicare’s condition-specific readmission measures are poor reflectors of hospital quality,” by Caitlyn Hui and Deepti Shroff, 2 Minute Medicine LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform):  Herein lies the fundamental flaw in the movement to replace fee-for-service medicine with value-based reimbursement. Value is impossible to measure objectively and payments end up based on political cronyism. The only true measure of value is what people are willing to pay when spending their own money, including funds
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