“More than half of older Americans will need long-term term care. Many can’t afford the rising cost,” by Eva Rothenberg, CNN “People living in low-income communities are in danger of a slew of poor health outcomes such as chronic illness and nutritional deficiencies due to higher stress levels, unstable living conditions, and a lack of access to healthy foods and health care as they age, which means lower-income earners who may not qualify for government services like Medicaid will still likely face higher premium costs if they try to buy a long-term care insurance policy.” LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses,
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“How Medicare Impedes Health Care Innovation,” by Brian Blase, Paragon Health Institute “Harvard Business School professor and one of the deans of consumer-driven health reform Regina Herzlinger has remarked that “choice supports competition, competition fuels innovation, and innovation is the only way to make things better and cheaper.” Unfortunately, there are significant constraints on innovation improving health care quality and driving cost reductions. Many of these problems are because of the structure of the Medicare program, an issue that Paragon’s Joe Albanese tackles in his new paper, Roadblock to Progress: How Medicare Impedes Health Care Innovation.” LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care
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“Gallup Poll Shows Public’s Deep Aversion to Nursing Homes, 42% of Americans Give ‘D’ or ‘F’,” by Shelby Grebbin, Skilled Nursing News “One of the central findings of the survey indicates that Americans hold a less than favorable view of nursing home quality. Over 40% of respondents gave nursing homes negative ratings for overall quality of care, with 36% assigning them a “D” (poor) grade and 6% an “F” (fail). Only a small percentage rated nursing homes positively, with just 1% giving them an “A” (excellent) and 8% a “B” (good). The average rating for nursing-home quality of care, therefore,
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“Long-Term Care Claims Skyrocket In 2022,” Advisor Magazine “Claims in the long-term care (LTC) insurance segment skyrocketed 20% in 2022, creating a difficult combination with inadequate pricing assumptions on older blocks of business that have forced significant reserve increases, according to a new AM Best report. Rising interest rates have provided some relief to the companies underwriting this high-risk product, given the potential boost to investment yields. However, the market challenges for this segment will persist despite the improved interest rate environment, according to the Best’s Market Segment Report, ‘Long-Term Care Claims Skyrocket in 2022.’” LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses,
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“Study: Being a family caregiver does not mean you will plan for your own long-term care,” by Adam Healy, McKnight’s Home Care “Family caregivers are more likely to think about their own long-term care needs, but they still need support and “roadmaps” to plan for those needs. That is according to a new study sponsored by Home Instead, CLTC, Milliman, and TCare, which offers support for family caregivers. … ‘I think, in general, the whole study points to the need for the importance of education about the risks and costs, and who pays [for long-term care], which has always been important,’ lead
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“State veterans home rife with deficiencies, inaccurate COVID death reports: federal report,” by Jessica R. Towhey, McKnight’s LTC News “Two veterans’ nursing homes in New Jersey that employees described as ‘pure hell’ and ‘a battlefield’ violated residents’ Constitutional rights, federal officials said in a damning report.  The Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the US Attorney’s Office District of New Jersey issued a joint report Thursday with findings of their investigation into the Veterans Memorial Homes at Menlo Park and Paramus. The 40-page report details ‘those early days [of COVID] and how the initial chaos decreased but did not end,’ eventually
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