New Medicare Card Project – Update

New Medicare Card Project – Update Wave 5 of the new Medicare cards are being mailed. To learn more about the new card or to check the status of your clients’ new cards, go to Medicare.gov/newcard/. Cards have finished mailing to American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and to people who get RRB benefits.   Feedback and questions on the New Medicare Card Project can be sent to: Partnership@cms.hhs.gov.   #goldencareagent #medicare
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Categories: Industry News and Medicare Supp./Adv..

Good News | SPECIAL EVENT Designing Affordable LTCi Plans and New Comparison Tool

  Are Your Prospects Struggling With High LTCi Premiums? Join Jeff Clark, a skilled LTCi agent with 20+ years of experience, for expert tips & proven strategies for plan designs that don’t break the bank! Be sure to save your seat at this Sales Strategies  webinar. Click the link below to register: Tues, Sept 18, 2018 11:00 AM  to  11:30 AM CDT Plus, Exciting Things Are In Store! We will be launching a brand new tool for comparing hybrid policies side-by-side! Coming soon! Watch for our announcement and instructions for access! Read Full Good News Article Questions? Call our Marketing Team at 800-842-7799! Don’t forget
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Categories: GoldenCare News, Industry News, and Long-Term Care.

“Benefits and Challenges of Payment Adjustments Based on Beneficiaries’ Ability to Perform Daily Tasks”

“Benefits and Challenges of Payment Adjustments Based on Beneficiaries’ Ability to Perform Daily Tasks,” Government Accountability Office (GAO-18-588) “GAO found that for the sample of beneficiaries analyzed, the MA [Medicare Advantage] risk adjustment model underestimated spending for those with functional limitations and overestimated spending for those without such limitations. These findings suggest that risk adjustment accuracy could be improved by accounting for functional status, which could in turn reduce any financial disadvantages plans may experience by enrolling beneficiaries with functional limitations. … If this incentive causes MA plans to identify functional limitations more completely than providers in fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare,
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Categories: Clippings, Industry News, and Long-Term Care.

“Traditional gender roles don’t keep men from becoming caregivers”

“Traditional gender roles don’t keep men from becoming caregivers,” by Lisa Rapaport, Reuters “When a spouse became ill, men increased the amount of time they spent on caregiving each week by roughly the same amount as women did, resulting in similar care hours regardless of which spouse was sick, researchers report in The Journals of Gerontology: Series B. For men, the increase was much greater when their wives were seriously ill than when they needed less care. However, 30 percent of male caregivers had outside help, compared with 18 percent of female caregivers. And housework was a different story. Men
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Categories: Clippings, Industry News, and Long-Term Care.

GoldenCare Newsletter | September 10, 2018

In this GoldenCare Newsletter Edition From GoldenCare: Update Your Contracts Look for an upcoming LTC CEO Office, Home and Internet Selling Tools Software update, coming in the next couple weeks with all the latest tools! Making a good decision on whether or not to own Long Term Care insurance depends upon receiving factual information on the subject. LTCCEO was developed to offer our clients the knowledge they need to make wise decisions. Find out how to get your copy here. Diversify your portfolio for greater sales success! Our new training schedule is posted!  Join us for complimentary product and sales training
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Categories: GoldenCare News, Industry News, Long-Term Care, Mutual of Omaha (& Affiliates), National Guardian Life, and United Security.

“CCRC occupancy strong as construction pipeline continues to expand, analysis finds”

“CCRC occupancy strong as construction pipeline continues to expand, analysis finds,” by Marty Stempniak, McKnight’s LTC News “A new report paints a rosy picture for continuing care retirement communities this year, with occupancy staying strong and construction numbers increasing steadily. According to a new analysis from real estate investment firm Marcus & Millichap, released on Friday, CCRCs (also known as life plan communities) had the highest stabilized occupancy among all types of senior housing, at 91%, in June. And inventory of such facilities has ticked upward steadily over the past six years, at a clip of about 3,000 units, the
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Categories: Clippings, Industry News, and Long-Term Care.

“Smoking May Increase Dementia Risk”

“Smoking May Increase Dementia Risk,” by Nicholas Bakalar, New York Times “Yet another reason to stop smoking: It may reduce your risk for dementia. Korean researchers studied 46,140 men, 60 and older, following them for an average of eight years with periodic health examinations. Over the course of the study, 1,644 people were given a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia. After controlling for age, body mass index, blood pressure, physical activity and other health and behavioral characteristics, they found that the less time men smoked, the less likely they were to have dementia. Compared with continual
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Categories: Clippings, Industry News, and Long-Term Care.

“Infectious Theory Of Alzheimer’s Disease Draws Fresh Interest”

“Infectious Theory Of Alzheimer’s Disease Draws Fresh Interest,” by Bret Stetka, NPR “If a microbe is responsible for all or some cases of Alzheimer’s, perhaps future treatments or preventive approaches will prevent toxin protein buildup in the first place. Both Tanzi and Norins believe Alzheimer’s vaccines against viruses like herpes might one day become common practice.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Count me dubious but willing to consider the evidence. Infectious Theory Of Alzheimer’s Disease Draws Fresh Interest #goldencareagent #infections
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Categories: Clippings, Industry News, and Long-Term Care.

“Medicaid-exempt assets from nursing home costs”

“Medicaid-exempt assets from nursing home costs,” by Bonnie Kraham, Times Herald-Record “An exempt asset is protected from nursing-home costs. The following are exempt assets if there is a community spouse:” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Here’s a long list, by a Medicaid planning attorney, of assets exempt for purposes of determining Medicaid long-term care eligibility. She says the list applies if one spouse is still living in the home, but that doesn’t matter. As long as the institutionalized spouse, or someone on his or her behalf, expresses a subjective “intent to return” to
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Categories: Clippings, Industry News, and Long-Term Care.

“It’s become a gold rush’: Inside the race to create smart shoes, custom razors and high-tech devices for the over-65 crowd”

“‘It’s become a gold rush’: Inside the race to create smart shoes, custom razors and high-tech devices for the over-65 crowd,” by Abha Bhattarai, Washington Post “After three years of observation, design and testing, Gillette is preparing to release the first razor built for caregivers to shave others. The Gillette Treo has an extra-wide handle and comes with a tube of clear gel that eliminates the need for running water or shaving cream. … ‘It’s become a gold rush,’ said Danny Silverman, chief marketing officer of e-commerce analytics firm Clavis Insight. ‘Whether you’re a hairbrush-maker or a technology company, you’re
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Categories: Clippings, Industry News, and Long-Term Care.