“New Tax Will Help Washington Residents Pay for Long-Term Care,” by Ron Lieber, New York Times “Eligible residents who live in Washington State will have a new benefit available to them starting in 2025: a $100-per-day allowance for a variety of long-term care services, which will last up to a year. The money will come from a payroll tax that begins in 2022, according to rules in a bill that the state’s governor signed Monday. Residents’ employers will put 0.58 percent of their paychecks — $290 for every $50,000 in income — into a state fund. Washington does not have a state
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“Marc Hebert: NH among states with Long-term Care Partnership policies” by Mark A. Hebert, New Hampshire Union Leader “Though Medicaid covers long-term care expenses for some people, the program has very strict eligibility requirements when it comes to distributing benefits. … On the financial side of the eligibility criteria, certain asset and income limits must be met. Individuals must ‘spend down’ their assets in order to become eligible. Keep in mind that states set some of their own eligibility requirements and that states have the right to be reimbursed from a recipient’s estate for any Medicaid payments made on his
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“‘A Slice’ of the 2019 ILTCI Conference,” Drinker Biddle “Drinker Biddle is pleased to present you with this recap—or “a slice” of the 2019 ILTCI Conference, Chicago, Illinois. Year after year, the ILTCI Conference is jam-packed with opportunities to reconnect with and learn from our industry peers and friends. In fact, there is so much happening that it is nearly impossible to catch even a fraction of all of the valuable presentations and panel discussions throughout the conference. The long-term care industry is booming with new ideas, innovations, strategies, and tactics. The Conference affords attendees with the opportunity to explore
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“Health Affairs Events,” Health Affairs Blog “Past Event:  Seniors in the ‘Middle Market’ Many Seniors Will Be Unable To Afford Housing and Health Care by 2029 FREE ACCESS to the Research Article presented at this event and study content: ‘The Forgotten Middle: Many Middle-Income Seniors Will Have Insufficient Resources For Housing And Health Care’”   LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Health Affairs has offered free access to the article we critiqued in LTC Bullet: Remember the Middle, May 10, 2019. Read ‘em both and reach your own conclusions.
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“Nationwide Adds Life-LTC Hybrid,” by Allison Bell, ThinkAdvisor “Life insurance units of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company will be issuing a new product that combines universal life insurance with cash indemnity long-term care (LTC) benefits. The new Nationwide CareMatters II policy is an updated version of a product introduced in 2014. One change is an expansion in access to the product. In the past, the target market for the product was ages 40 to 65. Nationwide now allows issue ages from 30 to 75. Some details may differ from state to state.”   LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for
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“The Two Biggest Mistakes In Retirement Planning,” by Phyllis Shelton, Forbes “Over the years, there are two mistakes I’ve found that people consistently make when preparing for retirement. Making one or both mistakes can leave you in a ‘what if’ retirement, afraid to spend your savings as you ask yourself: What if one of us has an extended chronic health care need? What if our retirement savings suffer losses and we are unable to pull out enough income to continue our lifestyle? What if we outlive our money completely?” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care
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“People Over 50 Are Avid Tech Users – So Why Are They Ignored?,” by Jessica Baron, Forbes “When we talk about technology use, we tend to think about what Millennials are buying, what Gen Z is into, and the effects it has on children. When we think about older adults, specifically those aged 50 and up, the articles start to address safety and mobility issues, fraud protection, and assisted living gadgets. But here’s the thing, people over 50 are a huge, diverse market for tech. Not all of them fit the mold of less-than-savvy grandparent just using technology to keep
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“I Spent 30 Years Advising Families On Senior Care — And I Still Wasn’t Ready To Take Care Of My Mom,” by Jody Gastfriend, Forbes “For over 30 years, I’ve worked in the field of senior care, much of it supporting family caregivers — the unsung heroes of our nation’s system of long-term care. … I lead a team of social workers who provide personalized guidance and support to employees facing family care challenges. I wrote a book about the burdens and benefits of caregiving called My Parent’s Keeper: The Guilt, Grief, Guesswork and Unexpected Gifts of Caregiving. I’ve also experienced caregiving firsthand
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“Many Americans Will Need Long-Term Care. Most Won’t be Able to Afford It,” by Paula Span, New York Times “A recent analysis in Health Affairs, pointedly titled ‘The Forgotten Middle,’ investigated how many middle-income seniors will be caught in that bind. The numbers were grim. … Policy types instead suggest more incremental changes by both government and industry. Perhaps Medicaid could cover seniors with slightly higher incomes, or modify its regulations to include housing costs along with health care.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Yeah, just what we need: Easier access to Medicaid for
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“Almost Half of Americans Take Prescription Drugs: CDC,” by Shelly Hagan, ThinkAdvisor “About 46% of the U.S. population used one or more prescription drugs in the past 30 days, according to a survey from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). … Older adults, aged 60 and above, had the highest share of drug use at 85%. Nearly half of the older population used prescription drugs to combat high cholesterol, while more than one in five use anti-diabetic drugs.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): How scary is that? No wonder we have a
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