“It’s no better in 16 years of long-term care study in SD,” by Rae Yost, Keloland.com “There is an increasing government effort to create public programs to solve the pressing long term care conundrum. This article will examine the causes of this effort and progress to date. … The State of Washington, with its high costs of care and its liberal governor, Jay Inslee, became the first state to mandate a public long term care insurance program. … California has been the state that has spent the most time and money to come up with a program, and is being
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“Public Long Term Care Insurance Programs,” by Louis H. Brownstone, Broker World  “There is an increasing government effort to create public programs to solve the pressing long term care conundrum. This article will examine the causes of this effort and progress to date. … The State of Washington, with its high costs of care and its liberal governor, Jay Inslee, became the first state to mandate a public long term care insurance program. … California has been the state that has spent the most time and money to come up with a program, and is being watched carefully by a
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“Social Security COLA Estimated at 2.7% for 2024 as Inflation Cools,” by John Manganaro, ThinkAdvisor “The estimate reflects a 0.1% rise in prices in May and a 4% increase over the prior 12 months, according to The Senior Citizens League. Social Security benefits have lost significant purchasing power since 2000, according to the advocacy group. The actual 2024 COLA will be based on third-quarter inflation data and will be announced in October.” LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Social Security beneficiaries slip further behind the inflation curve. That hurts them, but also reduces LTC providers’
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“Washington’s long-term care program still flawed as new tax looms,” by Kris Johnson, Kitsap Sun “The Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Commission issued a series of recommendations this winter to improve the program. The group suggested changes to allow people who work in Washington and move out of state to take their benefits with them. They also proposed clarifications to how long someone has to work to qualify for benefits and a pilot project for implementation. And the group recommended new options for private insurance to supplement WA Cares. But lawmakers in Olympia ignored the group’s recommendations. No long-term care
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“Wearable AI patch monitors multiple health factors for seniors,” by Christine Birkner, McKnight’s Senior Living “Artificial intelligence is making a huge impact in the senior living space, as the technology is being used to keep residents safe and improve their overall health. Now, researchers have created a new wearable patch that harnesses AI and nanotechnology to monitor seniors’ health via biometrics.” LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Is it AI or just marginal advances in existing tech monitoring?   Subscribe to GoldenCare News  
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“Is The Next Wave Of Life Expectancy Gains On The Horizon?,” by Swiss Re, Advisor Magazine “Gains in human longevity have tapered off over the last decade but the next wave of improvements is on its way, says Swiss Re’s latest report, The future of life expectancy: Forecasting long-term mortality improvement trends for insurance. Advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment are the most likely areas to improve global longevity, according to the report. Future improvements will need to be supported by addressing older-age health issues such as Alzheimer’s, lifestyle factors and access to healthcare.” LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President,
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“Senior-Living Debt Defaults Far Outpace the Rest of Government Debt Market,” by Lauren Coleman-Lochner, Yahoo!Finance “One sector is an outlier when it comes to the traditionally-tiny default rates in the $4 trillion municipal bond market. … Roughly 7% of the $43 billion in outstanding senior-living bonds, or about $3.2 billion, is in default on a payment, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That compares to a rate of less than 1% for all state and local government debt. … For elderly people with more options, the pandemic accelerated a growing preference to avoid senior living, said Eric Kazatsky, senior US
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“The History of Medicare Advantage: From Inception to Growing Popularity,” by Victoria Bailey, HealthPayerIntelligence “Medicare Advantage’s popularity continues to grow in 2023 as enrollment figures and plan options increase. The private program has received mixed reviews from healthcare stakeholders, with members generally reporting high plan satisfaction and government agencies calling for increased oversight due to overpayment and marketing discrepancies. Understanding how Medicare Advantage came to be and how it differs from traditional Medicare could perhaps shed some light on where the program is headed. In the following article, HealthPayerIntelligence breaks down Medicare Advantage’s history, enrollment trends, and how stakeholders view the program.”
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“40 percent of healthcare working hours can be augmented by AI, study finds,” by Christine Birkner, McKnight’s Senior Living “Artificial intelligence’s impact on nursing home and senior living community operations has been wide-ranging, from improving patient safety to streamlining workforce tasks amid staffing shortages. Now there’s evidence 40% of all healthcare working hours can be supported or augmented by language-based AI, according to a new report by Accenture.” LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Garbage in, garbage out. Why does automating, digitizing and systematizing mediocrity make me nervous?   Subscribe to GoldenCare News  
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“Medicare, Medicaid Spending Similar Among Dual Eligible Beneficiaries,” by Victoria Bailey, HealthPayerIntelligence “Need-based subgroups of dual eligible beneficiaries utilized both Medicare- and Medicaid-funded services, identifying the need for an integration program that includes benefits from both payers, a study published in JAMA Health Forum found. Dual eligible beneficiaries typically have multiple chronic comorbidities, cognitive impairments, and mental health conditions, leading them to require more complex care than beneficiaries in only Medicare or Medicaid. A lack of coordination between the two programs creates misaligned incentives for payers and physicians, leading to higher costs, fragmented care, and poor health outcomes.” LTC Comment, Stephen A.
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