“COVID Accelerates Shift to Private Skilled Nursing Rooms, Up 31% in 2020”

“COVID Accelerates Shift to Private Skilled Nursing Rooms, Up 31% in 2020,” by Amy Stulick, Skilled Nursing News Quote:  “The pandemic has accelerated a shift to private rooms in the skilled nursing space, an attempt to help curb infection, with 31 percent of operators making the change in some capacity last year. … The main challenge to this shift, Utz said, falls on Medicaid reimbursed care. ‘The revenue just isn’t there,’ he added. ‘Every skilled nursing facility has a mix of Medicare, private pay, and Medicaid. The business model just isn’t supported at the reimbursement levels for private rooms.’ If that
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Categories: Clippings, COVID-19, and Industry News.

“The social contract for long-term care”

“The social contract for long-term care,” by Stephen A. Moses, McKnight’s LTC News   Quote:  “Without estate recovery, an enormous source of private LTC financing (home equity) is lost forever and Medicaid becomes a tax-payer financed windfall to heirs at the expense of program resources that should go to the poor. It behooves long-term care providers to stop the MACPAC proposal from passing. We need to strengthen America’s long-term care social contract, not cripple it. To understand the reasoning, evidence and recommendations that led to passage of OBRA ’93 mandating estate recoveries, read Medicaid Estate Recoveries: National Program Inspection, a 1988 report by
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Categories: Clippings and Industry News.

“Are You Prepared for the Staggering Cost of Long-Term Care?”

“Are You Prepared for the Staggering Cost of Long-Term Care?,” by Jeffrey Marshall, Marshall, Parker & Weber LLC Quote:  “Each year Genworth surveys long-term care providers nationwide to determine the cost of various long term care services. The information collected can help consumers understand and plan to meet the cost of care in their preferred geographic location and care setting. Genworth recently issued its survey report for 2020. This article provides you with some highlights of the report with a focus on cost data specific to Pennsylvania. … Planning, preparation, and expert assistance are critically important. Pennsylvania residents can meet with an experienced elder law
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Categories: Clippings and Industry News.

“New Guidance Could Make Long Term Care in the U.S. Worse (Guest: Stephen Moses)”

“New Guidance Could Make Long Term Care in the U.S. Worse (Guest: Stephen Moses),” by Anne-Marie Schieber, Heartland Institute’s Health Care News Quote:  “Stephen Moses, the president of the Center for Long Term Care Reform, joins the show to discuss a recommendation to Congress that could make nursing home care worse, not better. The MACPAC Commission, which advises Congress on the issue, is recommending that Medicaid make estate recoveries voluntary. What this means is that nursing home residents who have qualified for Medicaid coverage no longer have to pay the bill back from their estate, even if there are appreciable assets.
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Categories: Clippings and Industry News.

““New State Payroll Tax Will Provide for Long-Term Care Insurance”

“New State Payroll Tax Will Provide for Long-Term Care Insurance,” by Ryan Rogers, KIMA Quote:  “Last month the state legislature passed a bill to implement a new payroll tax. … Zavala says people can opt-out of the tax if they buy their own long-term care policy.” LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Headlines like that guarantee this new program will do more harm than good. People see the lead, skip the story and think: “Oh well, another tax to pay, but at least I don’t have to worry about long-term care anymore.” Big mistake as
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Categories: Clippings, COVID-19, and Industry News.

“Social Security Sees Slowdown in Retiree Rolls Amid COVID Deaths”

“Social Security Sees Slowdown in Retiree Rolls Amid COVID Deaths,” by Alex Tanzi, ThinkAdvisor Quote: “About 80% of the people who died from the virus were 65 or older. U.S. life expectancy plunged by a full year in the first half of 2020. At the same time, more people say they plan to retire earlier than expected due to the pandemic. … The pandemic created a unique situation in 2020. While surveys show that many are retiring or planning to retire earlier than they once thought, deaths are removing hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries from Social Security rolls.” LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses,
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Categories: Clippings, COVID-19, and Industry News.

“Genworth Plans for Return to Long-Term Care Insurance Sales”

“Genworth Plans for Return to Long-Term Care Insurance Sales,” by Allison Bell, ThinkAdvisor Quote:  “Genworth says it’s already talking to potential LTCI business partners. The company still wants to work with China Oceanwide to develop long-term care solutions for China. The goal would be for the new products to have lower and more predictable risk.” LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Go Genworth!         Subscribe to GoldenCare News  
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Categories: Clippings, Genworth, and Industry News.

“Bill to Boost RMD Age to 75 Up for First Vote Wednesday”

“Bill to Boost RMD Age to 75 Up for First Vote Wednesday,” by Melanie Waddell, ThinkAdvisor Quote:  “The House Ways and Means Committee will vote Wednesday on the Securing a Strong Retirement Act of 2021, known as the Secure Act 2.0, which would boost the required minimum distribution age from 72 to 75.” LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Here’s an important aspect of the RMD age you might not know. Medicaid LTC exempts tax-deferred retirement accounts, often hundreds of thousands of dollars, if they are paying out periodically, as they must do upon the owner’s
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Categories: Clippings and Industry News.

“First they came for skilled care …,”

“First they came for skilled care …,” by John O’Connor, McKnight’s Senior Living Quote:  “Did you hear that Humana will pay $5.7 billion to wrest control of Kindred at Home? Of course you didn’t. That’s a home care issue, not senior living. It’s hardly the kind of news that might affect your organization, right? Maybe not. But then again, maybe it’s exactly the kind of development that’s worth keeping an eye on. For in case you didn’t notice, there seems to be a trend — some in the field might say disturbing trend — taking form. In a nutshell: Humana
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Categories: Clippings and Industry News.

“As Medicare Advantage drives rate lower, fed-up CEOs embrace strategies that limit carriers’ influence”

“As Medicare Advantage drives rate lower, fed-up CEOs embrace strategies that limit carriers’ influence,” by Kimberly Marselas, McKnight’s LTC News Quote:  “Medicare Advantage’s aggressive market penetration represents a major threat to skilled nursing providers, some of whom now find themselves clearing less per resident day through MA plans than they do in state Medicaid programs. A panel of nursing home and senior living executives Friday called for more oversight in the face of the continuing shift. They spoke during the 2021 Legislative and Regulatory Conference hosted by the National Association for the Support of Long Term Care.” LTC Comment, Stephen
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Categories: Clippings and Industry News.