“About 30 percent of older adults who need care are caring for another,” by Kristen Fischer, McKnights LTC News “More than 30% of older adults who are caregivers are also receiving care to assist with completing their own daily activities. The older adult caregivers are also more likely to care for a spouse, be older than their spouse, have limited financial assets and be in worse physical health, according to a new study. The report was published Monday in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.” LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: This whole caregiving challenge just keeps getting scarier
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“Great Recession Saved Lives: Research,” by Allison Bell, ThinkAdvisor “The Great Recession showed that, at least in the short run, a severe economic crisis may help people live longer, according to a team of economists led by Amy Finkelstein of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The team found that the 2007-2009 slump improved the age-adjusted mortality rate in a community by 2.3%, or by 0.5% for every 1-percentage-point increase in the community’s unemployment rate, and that the improvement lasted for at least 10 years. ‘These estimates imply that the Great Recession provided one in 25 55-year-olds with an extra year
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“Halfway Through ‘Unwinding,’ Medicaid Enrollment Is Down About 10 Million,” by Phil Galewitz, KFF Health News “We’re halfway through the Medicaid “unwinding,” in which states are dropping people from the government health insurance program for the first time since the pandemic began. Millions of people have been dumped from the rolls since April, often for procedural issues like failing to respond to notices or return paperwork. But at the same time, millions have been re-enrolled or signed up for the first time. The net result: Enrollment has fallen by about 9.5 million people from the record high reached last April, according to
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“Income and Assets of Medicare Beneficiaries in 2023,” by Alex Cottrill, Juliette Cubanski, Tricia Neuman, and Karen Smith, KFF “A new KFF analysis shows that most Medicare beneficiaries live on relatively low incomes and have modest financial resources for retirement – posing a risk to their economic well-being, particularly if they were to have a major, unanticipated expense, such as a need for long-term nursing home care. The financial picture is especially bleak among Black and Hispanic Medicare beneficiaries, who tend to have lower incomes, savings, and home equity than White beneficiaries, the analysis shows. Women have lower incomes and
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“Initiative 2124 asks voters to make WA Cares an opt-in, rather than mandatory, program,” by Elizabeth Hovde, Washington Policy Center “The controversy over WA Cares prompted many people to start thinking about long-term care. State lawmakers can engage in conversation about long-term-care planning without imposing a mandatory savings plan on workers for one life need. Lawmakers also should enact reforms that will create a healthy, price-competitive insurance market that benefits everyone. Ending taxes on insurance products is one specific thing lawmakers can do, making it more affordable to purchase private long-term-care insurance. Most of all, lawmakers should seek to limit
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“ILTCI Recognition Award,” The ILTCI Conference “The Intercompany Long Term Care Insurance Conference Association’s (ILTCI) vision is to create an environment for aging in America that includes thoughtful, informed planning that takes into account the most effective and efficient use of resources in addressing the risks and costs of long-term care for all levels of American society. It is the desire of the ILTCI to recognize people and organizations that have made significant, long-term contributions in attaining the ILTCI vision. Do you know someone deserving of recognition?  Read on for more… To be eligible for this award, candidates must Be engaged in
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“When a Long-Term Care Insurance Insider Is the Caregiver,” by Margie Barrie, ThinkAdvisor “This is my story about the health crisis I’m living through right now. My clients periodically ask why should I learn about long-term care planning and consider buying a policy? Here’s why.” LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Hard to imagine an older prospect with a younger wife not heeding this column’s advice. Get well, Bernie. Get through it, Margie.   Subscribe to GoldenCare News  
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“Spending in home care outpaces other healthcare sectors,” by Kathleen Steele Gaivin, McKnights Senior Living “Spending in home healthcare outpaced other healthcare sectors in November, according to Altarum’s monthly Health Sector Economic Indicators brief, released Wednesday. ‘In November 2023, year-over-year spending on home healthcare grew the fastest among major spending categories, at 12.9%,’ Altarum Fellow and Senior Researcher George Miller told the McKnight’s Business Daily. ‘Spending on nursing home care during the same period grew by 7.9%.’ Prescription drug spending saw 12.2% growth, whereas spending on dental services and hospital care increased the least, at 5.8% and 5.9%, respectively, among major categories. Overall,
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“10 Reasons Why Medicare Advantage Enrollment is Growing and Why It Matters,” by Tricia Neuman, Meredith Freed, and Jeannie Fuglesten Biniek, KFF “For the first time in Medicare’s history, more than half of all eligible people with Medicare, or 30.8 million people in 2023, are enrolled in private Medicare Advantage plans. Medicare Advantage plans are offered by private health insurance companies that receive payments from the federal government to provide Medicare-covered services. People with Medicare have a choice between traditional Medicare (sometimes called fee-for-service Medicare or Original Medicare) and Medicare Advantage plans. The growth in Medicare Advantage enrollment is driven by a
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