“Medicare reform can no longer be ignored: Warnings from the 2019 Medicare trustees report,” by Joseph Antos and Robert E. Moffit, AEI Economic Perspectives “The latest annual Medicare trustees report highlights the program’s growing fiscal challenge and reflects policymakers’ ongoing failure to prepare Medicare for the future. Program spending on a per-beneficiary basis rose sharply in 2018 and is anticipated to accelerate with the influx of baby boomers turning age 65 and rising health care costs. Medicare’s Hospital Insurance (or Part A) trust fund becomes insolvent in 2026, but the program is already in trouble from a budget perspective. More
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“Artificial Intelligence Models Identify Alzheimer’s Cognitive Decline,” by Jessica Kent, Health IT Analytics “A team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed artificial intelligence tools to determine whether patients at high risk for Alzheimer’s disease will experience cognitive decline. The algorithm was able to predict patient cognition test scores up to two years in the future.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Algorithms make better diagnoses than medical doctors. Why shouldn’t they predict Alzheimer’s?      
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“Scientists rethink Alzheimer’s, diversifying the drug search,” by Lauran Neergaard, Associated Press “For years researchers have been guided by one leading theory — that getting rid of a buildup of a sticky protein called amyloid would ease the mind-robbing disease. Yet drug after drug has failed. They might clear out the gunk, but they’re not stopping Alzheimer’s inevitable worsening. The new mantra: diversify. With more money — the government had a record $2.4 billion to spend on Alzheimer’s research this year — the focus has shifted to exploring multiple novel ways of attacking a disease now considered too complex for
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“AHIP Backs Four Options for Long Term Care Reform,” by Kelsey Waddill, Health Payer Intelligence “America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) published its letter to the Federal Interagency Task Force on Long-Term Care Insurance (Task Force) agreeing with their decision to address long-term care insurance (LTCI) and offering suggestions on federal policy options related to LTCI. … AHIP lauded the Task Force’s mission in a letter responding to request for public comment. The payer organization then laid out four LTCI reforms from the 2017 federal policy options that the organization believes the Task Force should pursue.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President,
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