“With 41% leap in nursing home costs, ‘doing nothing’ not an option: AHCA,” by Kimberly Marselas, McKnight’s LTC News Quote: “After two years in which nursing homes have been pilloried in the media and come under increased regulatory scrutiny, the nation’s top provider organization hopes two days of in-person meetings with federal lawmakers will usher in a course correction.”   LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Asking the government for help is like requesting a tow from the truck that ran you off the road. Far better if they take my advice in the
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  “Long-term care’s mortal risk,” by Stephen A. Moses, McKnight’s LTC News Quote: “While everyone is preoccupied with the [long-term care] profession’s traditional government funding sources and the regulatory obstructions they impose, no one is paying attention to the real possibility that this long-established structure may soon collapse. Even if you think that outcome is unlikely, shouldn’t someone at least be hedging the possibility? Let’s ask: What are the vulnerabilities and what should be done now just in case?”   LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: I agree with Jamie Dimon that an economic “hurricane”
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“CMS proposes payment decrease of $810M for home health in 2023,” by Liza Berger and Diane Eastabrook, McKnight’s Home Care   Quote: “The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is proposing a 2.9% home health payment update ($560 million) for calendar year 2023. This update is expected to lead to a 4.2% decrease ($810 million) in Medicare payments, the agency said Friday. … This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.”     LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Wait a second. Isn’t home and community-based care supposed to save money? Why do they have
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“Healthy lifestyle shown to decrease dementia risk up to 36 percent: study,” by Kimberly Bonvissuto, McKnight’s Senior Living   Quote: “New evidence suggests that lifestyle factors, including diet, exercise and sleep, can significantly reduce the risk of developing dementia. … A study from Vanderbilt University Medical Center published Monday in the American Academy of Neurology’s journal, Neurology, found an association between healthy lifestyles and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias among socioeconomically disadvantaged Americans.”     LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Pass the Broccoli, please.       Subscribe to GoldenCare News  
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“Healthy lifestyle shown to decrease dementia risk up to 36 percent: study,” by Kimberly Bonvissuto, McKnight’s Senior Living Quote: “New evidence suggests that lifestyle factors, including diet, exercise and sleep, can significantly reduce the risk of developing dementia. … A study from Vanderbilt University Medical Center published Monday in the American Academy of Neurology’s journal, Neurology, found an association between healthy lifestyles and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias among socioeconomically disadvantaged Americans.”     LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Pass the Broccoli, please.       Subscribe to GoldenCare News  
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“Can I Use a Medicaid Beneficiary’s Inheritance to Pay Her Assisted Living Facility Three Months in Advance?,” ElderLawAnswers Quote: “Q: My mother is living in an assisted living facility and receiving Medicaid. If she receives an inheritance, can I pay three months in advance to the assisted living facility without jeopardizing Medicaid benefits? A: “It may be possible, but it is complicated. The receipt of the inheritance is income that must be reported to the Medicaid authorities. In theory, that would render your mother ineligible for Medicaid benefits during that month. … Generally, this is likely too complicated for the
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  “New form of dementia prevalent in 40% of older adults,” by Diane Eastabrook, McKnight’s Home Care Quote: “Researchers at the University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging said a form of dementia discovered three years ago could be prevalent in 40% of older adults and up to 50% in Alzheimer’s patients. The researchers published their findings on limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE) in Acta Neuropathologica. … LATE symptoms mimic those of Alzheimer’s disease, including memory loss, problems thinking and reasoning in old age. However, researchers found LATE-affected brains look different from Alzheimer’s brains and therapies that work for one may
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  “Medicaid Weighs Attaching Strings to Nursing Home Payments to Improve Patient Care,” by Susan Jaffe, Kaiser Health News Quote: “The Biden administration is considering a requirement that the nation’s 15,500 nursing homes spend most of their payments from Medicaid on direct care for residents and limit the amount that is used for operations, maintenance, and capital improvements or diverted to profits. … If adopted, it would be the first time the federal government insists that nursing homes devote the majority of Medicaid dollars to caring for residents. The strategy, which has not yet been formally proposed, is among several steps officials
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“OPM Expects to ‘Revise’ FLTCIP Premiums, Could Temporarily Bar New Enrollments,” FedWeek    Quote: “OPM has said that it ‘has determined that there is a strong likelihood’ that Federal Long-Term Care Insurance Program premium rates will need to be ‘revised’ — which history suggests will mean ‘raised.’”   LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Setting premiums so future benefits can be paid is a moving target, except for government, which simply borrows, prints, taxes, inflates or defaults when entitlement trust funds run out.       Subscribe to GoldenCare News  
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“A Two-Year Reprieve For Medicare Insolvency Sounds Like Good News. But It Isn’t,” by Howard Gleckman, Forbes    Quote: “Congress could create a fully-funded public long-term care insurance program to help families pay the high costs of these supports and services. In a perfect world, Congress would do a top-to-bottom redesign of Medicare. That won’t happen, but lawmakers can’t continue to look the other way while one of the most important—and most popular—federal program gradually collapses.”     LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Policy schizophrenia: a whole column about what’s wrong with Medicare from a guy
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