“Home Equity Continues To Soar,” Advisor Magazine “CoreLogic® (NYSE: CLGX), a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider, today released the Home Equity Report for the fourth quarter of 2020. The report shows U.S. homeowners with mortgages (which account for roughly 62% of all properties) have seen their equity increase by 16.2% year over year, representing a collective equity gain of over $1.5 trillion, and an average gain of $26,300 per homeowner, since the fourth quarter of 2019.”     LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: This is a rare bit of good economic
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Maggots, Rape and Yet Five Stars: How U.S. Ratings of Nursing Homes Mislead the Public,” by Jessica Silver-Greenberg and Robert Gebeloff, New York Times   “Among The Times’s findings: Much of the information submitted to C.M.S. is wrong. Almost always, that incorrect information makes the homes seem cleaner and safer than they are. Some nursing homes inflate their staffing levels by, for example, including employees who are on vacation. The number of patients on dangerous antipsychotic medications is frequently understated. Residents’ accidents and health problems often go unreported. In one sign of the problems with the self-reported data, nursing homes
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“Demystifying Cash Buyouts of Long-Term Care Insurance Policies,” Morgan Lewis   “Partner Harold Horwich teams with global professional services firm Alvarez & Marsal in a webinar highlighting the benefits of cash buyouts, the primary impediments to their broader adoption, and their perspective on why those impediments—whether financial, philosophical, legal, regulatory, or tax-related—are either more imagined than real, or can be effectively mitigated.”   LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Last week we highlighted this webinar in an “LTC Clipping.” Now you can watch it online and view the slides here.        
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“‘Absolutely astonishing’: 90% drop in COVID cases shocks Parkinson, industry leaders,” by Danielle Brown, McKnight LTC News   “Leaders of the nation’s largest nursing home association knew there would be decreases of coronavirus deaths and cases at facilities following the availability of the COVID-19 vaccines. But the rate at which the numbers have plummeted across the country has come as a huge shock to providers. ‘A peak of 30,000 [new] cases per week just three months ago, now just 3,000 cases per week — a 90% drop,’ Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of the American Health Care Association, said during a CNN interview
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“Can we keep Medicare from being insolvent by 2024?,” by Chris Farrell, MarketWatch   “Even as America’s Balkanized healthcare system struggles to deal with the pandemic, the coronavirus lurks behind another looming crisis. Medicare’s Hospital Insurance Trust Fund is projected to become insolvent in 2024 or 2026 — just three to five years from now.”   LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Medicare? Who worries about that anymore? The whole government is insolvent, printing and borrowing more than it takes in from taxes.      
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“A COVID Storm Hits Senior Living,” by Patricia Mertz Esswein, Kiplinger  Quote: “The pandemic has created significant challenges for all types of senior living communities. Because of that, it’s more important than ever to review a facility’s financial stability and quality of life before making a move.”   LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: It’s also more important than ever to have the resources, or the insurance, to ensure you have care options when the need arises.      
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“Reforming Medicaid LTSS would increase HCBS access, create better jobs: report,” by Kimberly Bonvissuto, McKnight’s Senior Living  Quote: “Implementing three policy recommendations, with short-term and longer-term steps, would increase access to home- and community-based services, reduce institutional bias in the Medicaid program, and create a stronger caregiving workforce, according to a new report from research and advisory firm ATI Advisor.”   LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Throw more money at the problem. Push home and community-based care. Federalize long-term care. More of the same from analysts who have not had a new or creative
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“The Top Eight Mistakes People Make With Medicaid,” by Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, P.C.  Quote: “Medicaid planning can be a difficult and confusing process. The following are some common mistakes people make when planning to apply for Medicaid. … This is a complicated field that most people deal with only once in their lives. Tens of thousands of dollars are at stake. It’s penny wise and pound foolish not to consult with an attorney who knows how to guide clients through the process.”   LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Who do you think is
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 “Universal coverage of long-term care for older Americans may stabilize provider revenues: A report calls for establishing universal coverage for all Americans’ long-term care needs through Medicare,” by Jeff Lagasse, Healthcare Finance   Quote: “The report proposes a system of universal coverage to support the long-term care of all older Americans. The purpose would be to protect against financial catastrophe, and to move away from a system in which only the poorest Americans are able to access coverage via Medicaid.”   LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Yet another report that wants universal LTC from
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“At-home hospital-level care is growing fast, home care execs say,” by Joe Jancsurak, McKnight’s Senior Living   Quote: “Robust Medicare reimbursements for house calls and nonmedical services, and the need for hospital beds due to COVID-19 are driving increases in Medicare Hospital at Home programs nationwide. Given the expansion of such programs, home caregivers need to recognize and promote the importance of their roles.”   LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: So much for the debate over whether to send recovering hospital patients home or to a nursing facility. Who needs hospitals or nursing homes
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