“Bundles cut spending on joint replacements, but not for other conditions,” by Harris Mayer, Modern Healthcare     Quote: “Medicare’s voluntary bundled-payment program for hip and knee replacements reduced spending by 1.6% from 2013 to 2016 — less than previously estimated — with no overall change in quality, according to a new study in Health Affairs. Another new Health Affairs study reported that lower extremity joint replacement is the only type of clinical episode in Medicare bundled-payment programs that has produced savings so far. The meta-analysis found no evidence of reduced spending or quality improvement for other clinical episodes.” LTC Comment (from
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“How Much Do Medicare Beneficiaries Spend Out of Pocket on Health Care?,” by Juliette Cubanski  Wyatt Koma, Anthony Damico, and Tricia Neuman, KFF Issue Brief     Quote: “The oldest beneficiaries in traditional Medicare, people ages 85 and older, spent more than twice as much out of pocket as beneficiaries between the ages of 65 and 74 ($10,307 versus $5,021). This difference was primarily due to significantly higher spending on long-term care facility services among beneficiaries in the oldest age group. … In 2016, people with traditional Medicare spent an average of $5,460 out of pocket for health care expenses, including premiums, cost
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“The Health Care Promises We Cannot Keep,” by Judith Graham, Kaiser Health News     Quote: “For family caregivers, this is a common, anxiety-provoking dilemma. They’ll promise Mom or Dad that they can stay at home through the end of their lives and never go to assisted living or a nursing home. Or they’ll commit to taking care of a spouse’s needs and not bringing paid help into the home. Or they’ll vow to pursue every possible medical intervention in a medical crisis. Eventually, though, the unforeseen will arise ― after a devastating stroke or a heart attack, for instance,
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“7 Rules For Wealth: #3 Long-Term Care End Run,” by William Baldwin, Forbes     Quote: “People of limited means shouldn’t put money into LTC policies; they can reasonably expect that Medicaid will cover their stay. Prosperous people shouldn’t, either; they can fund a nursing home out of what would have been a legacy. … Plan on using home equity to cover the nursing bill. That means the mortgage should be paid off before you retire. If it isn’t, you were living beyond your means. Keep working until you own the house. If the house is paid for, then if
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