“California to eliminate asset tests for Medicaid,” by Rylee Wilson, Becker’s Payer Issues “CMS has approved a proposal from California to eliminate asset tests for Medicaid eligibility. In 2021, the California State Assembly passed a law to raise the limit of financial assets people who qualify for Medicaid because of age or disability can have to enter the program. The law raised the asset limit from $2,000 for an individual to $130,000 for an individual in 2022. The law directs the state to eliminate the asset test entirely at the start of 2024. CMS approved the state’s request to eliminate the test on July 14. CMS said the amendment
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“Comedy Video: D.C.’s Premier Elder Care Community: Where your final years are active, dignified, and pretty much permanent,” by John Carter, Austin Bragg, and Meredith Bragg, Reason D.C.’s Premier Elder Care Community “Nestled in the heart of the nation’s capital, Federal Senior Living & Hospice offers every resident a fully independent lifestyle. With a staff of over 2 million spread across hundreds of agencies, you’re free to abdicate your constitutional responsibilities to highly incentivized lobbyists, career bureaucrats, and college interns. Our members enjoy perks that your constituents can only dream of, including voting privileges, custom transportation, teleprompters, handrails, generous compensation packages, speechwriters, hordes of lobbyists, countless opportunities
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“New OIG Report Examines Prior Authorization Denials in Medicaid MCOs,” by Heather Saunders and Elizabeth Hinton, Kaiser Family Foundation “The OIG report underscores concerns about prior authorization and access in Medicaid managed care, keeping this issue at the forefront of ongoing policy discussions. While prior authorizations can help manage health care utilization, denials can create barriers to receiving care, cause delays, affect patient health, and may exacerbate health disparities. OIG suggests that the wide variation in denial rates might be due to varying policies or how they’re carried out. They recommend adding denials and appeals processes that are similar to Medicare Advantage,
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“The Forgotten Generation: Generation X Approaches Retirement,” Advisor Magazine “new report from the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS) finds a dismal retirement outlook for Generation X, the first generation to enter the labor market following the shift from defined benefit pension plans to 401(k)-style defined contribution accounts. When looking at median retirement savings levels for Generation X, the bottom half of earners have only a few thousand dollars saved for retirement, and the typical household has only $40,000 in retirement savings. Retirement savings for Generation X is highly concentrated among the highest earners, while Blacks and Hispanics have substantially
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