“First they came for skilled care …,”

“First they came for skilled care …,” by John O’Connor, McKnight’s Senior Living


Quote:  “Did you hear that Humana will pay $5.7 billion to wrest control of Kindred at Home? Of course you didn’t. That’s a home care issue, not senior living. It’s hardly the kind of news that might affect your organization, right? Maybe not. But then again, maybe it’s exactly the kind of development that’s worth keeping an eye on. For in case you didn’t notice, there seems to be a trend — some in the field might say disturbing trend — taking form. In a nutshell: Humana will buy out two investors that own most of Kindred’s home care business. This gives the insurer more than a toehold in a growing sector serving the aged. … Insurers are essentially taking a notable role in upstream (skilled care) and downstream (home care) services for aging. Which leaves you in the middle. Still think this development couldn’t possibly affect senior living?”

LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform:

Big changes are afoot in long-term care service delivery and financing. The health insurance industry is gaining a foothold in between consumers and long-term care providers. This column characterizes the process by comparison with the way Nazis took over in Germany. Here’s the quote the title of the column refers to: “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”