“54 percent increase in low-care nursing home residents presents opportunity for assisted living,” by Lois A. Bowers, McKnight’s Senior Living   Quote: “The percentage of nursing home residents who are considered “low care” increased 54% between 2019 and 2020, representing an opportunity for assisted living providers, according to a new report. Low-care nursing home residents are those who require no physical assistance in bed mobility and activities of daily living such as transferring, toileting and eating. Such residents may be able to live in less restrictive environments and receive less-intensive care in assisted living communities and other alternative settings or
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“$2.7 billion settlement in CalPERS long-term care insurance lawsuit is canceled,” by Wes Venteicher, Sacramento Bee    Quote: “An agreement in which CalPERS would have paid up to $2.7 billion to settle a lawsuit over the cost of its long-term care coverage has been scrapped, creating new uncertainty for tens of thousands of policyholders. … The settlement in the class-action lawsuit, reached last July, gave policyholders a choice: they could give up their plans and get a refund of all premiums they had paid — up to about $50,000 — or they could opt out of the settlement and keep
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“Long-Term Care in the United States — Problems and Solutions,” by Susan L. Mitchell, et al., New England Journal of Medicine   Quote: “The Covid-19 pandemic, with its devastating effects on nursing home residents and staff, has drawn renewed attention to problems in the U.S. system of long-term care. But the underlying issues are long-standing. In this Perspective Roundtable, moderator and geriatrician Susan Mitchell is joined by four experts in long-term care — Shawn Bloom, David Gifford, David Grabowski, and Jasmine Travers — in assessing the current system’s most pressing gaps and challenges and envisioning the most promising directions for the
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“Large Share of Alzheimer’s, Dementia Cases Tied to 8 Modifiable Risk Factors,” by Judy George, MedPageToday   Quote: “Eight modifiable risk factors were linked to more than one in three cases of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia in the U.S., a cross-sectional analysis showed. The eight risk factors — midlife obesity, midlife hypertension, physical inactivity, depression, smoking, low education, diabetes, and hearing loss — were associated with 36.9% (95% CI 36.5-37.3) of Alzheimer’s and dementia cases … .”    LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Well, I’d be happier if those eight risk factors I
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“MA enrollees with dementia report poor quality of care: study,” by Alicia Lasek, McKnight’s LTC News   Quote: “Investigators examined MA consumer service assessment surveys. Study participants had Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias (ADRD) and had used nursing home, home health or inpatient services within the last three years. When analyzed, the data showed that dementia patients were more likely to report lower scores for needed care and customer services when compared with MA recipients without ADRD. … Full findings were published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.”     LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care
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“Genworth Rethinks Long-Term Care Market Return,” by Allison Bell, ThinkAdvisor   Quote: “Genworth is reporting $149 million in net income for the first quarter on $1.9 billion in revenue. Earnings were strong enough that the company is preparing to spend up to $350 million on buying back shares of its stock. But McInerney acknowledged that past problems with LTCI product pricing will affect future LTCI efforts.”     LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Genworth and LTCI profitability generally will surge upward soon as interest rates spike, supporting reserves, and destroying competition from Medicaid.  
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“Join Us for a Webinar by Ken Dychtwald, PhD, on the Future of Medicine, Aging, and Longevity,” Focused Ultrasound Foundation   Quote: “In this revealing glimpse into the future, Age Wave Founder and CEO, Ken Dychtwald, PhD, will address the implications of rising longevity and the important role that disruptive medical technology – like focused ultrasound – plays in the lives of this generation and beyond. … REGISTER NOW > ”     LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform:   Time well spent, I expect.           Subscribe to GoldenCare News  
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“Considering Hybrid Long-Term Care Insurance? Policy Differences To Understand Before Buying,” by Jesse Slome, Benzinga   Quote: “WA Cares Act Update: Federal Court Dismisses Lawsuit, Holding Premiums Are State Taxes and Case Must Be Litigated in State Court—Court Notes State Constitutional Challenge Likely,” by Davis Wright Tremaine, Lexology     LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform:   Voters twice rejected WA Cares at the ballot box. So they sued, but now federal court has slapped them down too. When will the powers-that-be take “no” for an answer? When the current batch is thrown out of
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“California task force ponders long-term care insurance program,” by Lois A. Bowers, McKnight’s Senior Living   Quote: “The California Long Term Care Insurance Task Force is working to create a new long-term care insurance program that could include government funding, enrollee premiums and private long-term care coverage, reports Think Advisor. The group is charged with producing a feasibility report by Jan. 1, 2023, and an actuarial report on recommendations by Jan. 1, 2024. If approved, the actuarial report will be submitted to state lawmakers. One issue, however, is how to avoid problems facing a similar program in a state to the
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“OIG: MA plans denying, delaying services to beneficiaries,” by Diane Eastabrook, McKnight’s Home Care   Quote: “In a detailed report issued Thursday, the Office of Inspector General accused Medicare Advantage organizations (MAOs) of denying or delaying services to beneficiaries covered under Medicare rules. It also asserted that the plans denied payments to providers for services that met Medicare coverage rules and MA billing rules. The report follows persistent industry criticisms of MA plans, including their low payments to home care firms. … The OIG urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to issue new guidance on appropriate use of MA clinical criteria
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