“The nursing care insurance fund is apparently threatened with insolvency,” by Florence Jenkins, The Germany Eye Quote: “The financial situation of the long-term care insurance fund is apparently precarious due to the additional costs caused by the Corona pandemic. According to a media report, the providers of long-term care insurance are facing a gap of billions of euros. The ‘Bild’ newspaper reports that the nursing care insurance fund urgently needs a financial injection from the Federal Ministry of Finance.” LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: We anticipated this problem in “LTC Bullet–LTCI in Germany,” August
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“Opt-out direction, updates, and good and bad news concerning long-term-care law,” by Elizabeth Hovde, Washington Policy Center Quote: “A newly created long-term-care program in Washington state does not guarantee workers ‘long-term’ care. In its most recent meeting, state commission members acknowledged that the WA Cares Fund’s lifetime benefit of $36,500 will offer only partial help with most individuals’ long-term-care needs. … Several lawmakers and commission members are asking good questions about the law’s details and implementation. That’s encouraging. Not encouraging is a glossy marketing campaign full of false hope and a lack of information. The state’s ads for the  program that W2 workers are
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“Why the Cost of Long-Term Care Is Out of Reach for the Middle Class,” by Liz Seegert, Next Avenue Quote: “Most people in the $25,000 to $95,000 income bracket are considered middle-income; they usually cannot afford to pay privately for long-term care. Instead, they must rely on a network of family, friends, community-based services and luck. A majority don’t have long-term care insurance, which could offset some of the cost of non-medical care.” LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: This article perfectly encapsulates the “fallacy of impoverishment” that stands in the way of understanding and
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“The Next Medicaid Blowout,” by Brian Blase, Wall Street Journal Quote: “‘Medicaid now covers 1 in 4 Americans, but Congress may soon lock even more into an expensive program with inadequate access to doctors and poor health outcomes,’ Brian Blase writes today in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, ‘The Next Medicaid Blowout.’” LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: For those who do not have a Wall Street Journal subscription, the link above will take you to a summary on the Galen Institute’s website of Brian’s op-ed in today’s WSJ. I am proud to have co-authored
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“Annexus to Offer Social Security Uncertainty Protection,” by Allison Bell, ThinkAdvisor Quote: “Annexus — a large annuity distributor — plans to offer consumers a new tool they can use to protect themselves against Social Security retirement income disruption. The Scottsdale, Arizona-based company has agreed to work with PlanGap to add a Social Security income disruption rider to non-variable annuities. The rider can pay an annuity holder a bonus if Social Security program changes slash benefits.” LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: What’s next? Private insurance to protect you from the collapse of Medicaid LTC? The
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“Letter to Gov. Inslee Objecting to the WA Cares Fund,” from businesses and organizations representing industry, local governments and labor unions across the state       Quote: “Changes to the [WA Cares Fund] establishing legislation over the last two legislative sessions have created a program that is unclear, insolvent, and does not address the actual long-term care needs of all Washington state residents. The below listed businesses and organizations representing industry, local governments, and labor unions across the state support the goal of giving Washington residents options to provide for long-term care. However, the current status of the LTSST
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“Two Healthcare Insiders at Aegis Living Blow Whistle on Alleged Elder Abuse and Medical Fraud,” by James O’Keefe, Project Veritas Quote: “Two Healthcare Insiders at Aegis Living Blow Whistle on Alleged Elder Abuse and Medical Fraud,” by James O’Keefe, Project Veritas Quote: “Project Veritas released a new video today that features two healthcare insiders blowing the whistle on their employer, Aegis Living, for engaging in alleged elder abuse and medical fraud.”     LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: American muckraker James O’Keefe has long-term care in his crosshairs again. We highlighted Project Veritas’ exposure
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“Will Medicaid take life insurance proceeds after I die?,” by Karin Price Mueller, NJ.com     Quote: “Q. If I have an insurance policy that has no cash value and my son is the beneficiary, when I die and he receives the money, will Medicaid file a lien on that money? Would my son have to pay it? — Uncertain A. Many families are surprised that Medicaid will go after funds if it pays for your care before you die. … New Jersey Medicaid considers proceeds from term life insurance policies with no cash benefit to belong to the named
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“Long-term care tax is the wrong answer to a good question,” by Elizabeth Hovde, Tri-Cities Journal of Business     Quote: “The best long-term care is private coverage that is affordable and designed to fit people’s individual needs. Some state lawmakers, though, have a different idea. They don’t think you should be allowed to choose how you plan for your own long-term-care needs and that you should instead be forced to pay into a single, socialized program created by them. They call the mandatory program, misleadingly, the WA Cares Fund. … Legislators should repeal this unfair, costly and inappropriate law
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“The $3.5T Spending Mistake,” by John C. Goodman, The Goodman Institute     Quote: “Here is a 36-page analysis of the health care components of the congressional Democrats’ new spending proposal. Why is it so long? Because I hope to arm the opponents with better arguments. Of course, we can’t afford it. But that’s what Republicans and moderate Democrats say about every liberal proposal. Here is what voters need to know. In health care, every single Democratic proposal consists of throwing good money after bad. They are trying to meet unmet needs by spending enormous sums of money on deeply
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