“Medicare Advantage 2023 Spotlight: First Look,” by Meredith Freed, Jeannie Fuglesten Biniek, Anthony Damico, and Tricia Neuman, Kaiser Family Foundation Quote: “Over the last decade, Medicare Advantage, the private plan alternative to traditional Medicare, has taken on a more prominent role in the Medicare program. In 2022, more than 28 million Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, nearly half of the total Medicare population. This brief provides an overview of the Medicare Advantage plans that are available for 2023 and key trends over time. (A separate overview of the 2023 Medicare Part D marketplace is also available.)”   LTC Comment,
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“New insurance frontier may be opening to well-positioned providers,” by Kimberly Marselas, McKnight’s LTC News Quote: “Some 81% of long-stay nursing home residents are dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare coverage, yet the facilities they call home have rarely played a role in providing their health insurance. But analysts at healthcare research and consulting firm ATI and the SNP Alliance say an approaching regulatory transition presents a key opportunity for more skilled nursing providers to participate in and potentially offer special needs plans designed for dual-eligible individuals.”   LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: More
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“Turkey, Pumpkin Pie and the Long-Term Care Conversation: LTCI Insider,” by Margie Barrie, ThinkAdvisor Quote: “The holiday might be a time for adult children, nieces and nephews to ask questions. Home maintenance, bill-paying and scams should be on the agenda. You could host part of the conversation.”   LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Sound advice from one who knows.       Subscribe to GoldenCare News  
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“States’ use of LTSS varies widely for dual-eligible adults with dementia,” by Alicia Lasek, McKnight’s LTC News Quote: “Some state differences were stark. The use of any form of LTSS for dual-eligible beneficiaries with dementia ranged from 61% in Maine to 96% in Montana. Home-based service use ranged from 9% in Maine, Arizona and South Dakota, to 62% in Oregon, for example. And although nursing facilities topped the LTSS list of service type in most states, home-based services had greater utilization in not only Oregon, but in Alaska and California as well, the researchers found. Many states have sought to
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“Pandemic Drives Federal Share of State Revenue to Record High,” by Rebecca Thiess, Laura Pontari, and Justin Theal, PEW Quote: “Historically, the federal share of 50-state revenue has ranged from about one-quarter to one-third. The highest share prior to fiscal 2020 occurred just after the 2007-09 recession, when a temporary influx of federal economic stimulus dollars and falling state tax revenue caused the federal share of states’ revenue to reach 35.5% in fiscal 2010 and 34.7% in fiscal 2011. Outside of the federal response to recent economic downturns, Medicaid—which accounts for about two-thirds of federal grants to states—has been a
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“OneAmerica® Long-Term Care Survey Shares Consumers’ Perspectives,” OneAmerica Quote: “The pandemic brought consumer awareness about the need for life insurance, but it didn’t have the same impact on long-term care planning, according to new research from a 2022 OneAmerica consumer study on long-term care. Only 15% say the pandemic has been highly influential on their perceptions of needing long-term care, the array of personal assistance, and services people need over an extended time period because of a chronic illness or disability.”   LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Another study showing that people don’t think
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“Genworth Executives Review Long-Term Care Rate Hike Settlements,” by Allison Bell, ThinkAdvisor Quote: “Genworth had hoped to begin offering a new long-term care insurance policy together with a reinsurer. Instead, the company has decided to start by creating a business that will use less capital. The new Global Care Solutions unit will offer long-term care navigation and advice services based partly on services developed by Genworth’s CareScout unit and the company’s long-term care insurance business. Genworth hopes to launch that business by June 30, 2023, according to Tom McInerney, Genworth’s CEO. ‘The new business will include a digital platform where
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“54% of Consumers Have Cut Retirement Savings Due to Inflation: Allianz Life,” by Michael S. Fischer, ThinkAdvisor Quote: “The share of millennials that reported stopping or reducing retirement savings because of inflation was even higher. Gen Xers worry that if they do not increase their retirement savings soon, it will be too late to have a comfortable retirement. More than 70% of participants said they were keeping some money out of the market to protect it from loss.”   LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: The issue is complex. Here’s the essence. Government created moral
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“What’s Wrong With Long-Term Care?,” by Stephen A. Moses, RealClearPolicy Quote: “[T]oo much LTC funding comes from Medicaid for too many people at rates too low to ensure access to quality care in the kind of home and community-based settings consumers prefer, leaving most people unable to afford private care, with market rates 50 percent higher than what Medicaid pays due to government cost shifting, resulting in too little revenue flowing through the LTC system to support wages sufficient to attract enough caregivers, leaving families and friends with the financially and emotionally exhausting job of providing care neither the government
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“How Medicaid Compromised Long-Term Care (Guest: Stephen Moses), with AnneMarie Schieber, Heartland Daily Podcast Quote: “In the interview, Moses discusses: 1.  How easy is it to get Medicaid to pay for long-term care? 2. How has this compromised the quality of long-term care over the decades? 3. Who will need long term care? Can any of us live independently until we die? 4. Baby boomers…most are now 65…what kind of pressure will that put on long-term care and Medicaid in 10, 20, and 30 years from now? 5. What about counting on family members to care for you? How about
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