“Legal experts warn of incoming lawsuits for long-term care,” by Amy Novotney, McKnight’s Senior Living     Quote: “Legal teams for both long-term care operators and the residents and families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic are gearing up for lawsuits alleging neglect and wrongful death as a result of the virus — proceedings in which many of the rules are still being determined. ‘It’s not very often that you’re on the cusp of an entirely new cause of action,’ Rachel Stahle, a nursing home abuse and neglect attorney and a partner at Kansas City, MO-based law firm Dollar Burns &
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“Why the Medicaid block grant is the right strategy for Tennessee | Opinion,” by Shane Reeves, Tennessean   Quote: “Tennessee will be the first state to put a Medicaid block-grant program into effect now that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently approved the waiver. Block grants are fixed amounts of money that the federal government awards to states, allowing them to provide funding for benefit programs and services. A block grant enables state governments to serve broader purposes with greater flexibility with fewer administrative conditions. In the words of CMS Administrator Seema Verma, this block grant program represents ‘innovation
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“Long-term care in the age of Covid, and beyond,” by Susan Goldberg, Advisor’s Edge Quote: “It’s unusual for a source to cry during an Advisor’s Edge interview. Then again, these are unusual times. And when the interview is about long-term care (LTC) for seniors in the age of Covid-19, shedding a few tears seems like a logical response. Of the more than 14,000 Canadian deaths attributed to the pandemic (as of early January), a heartbreaking 73% were in long-term care and retirement homes.”   LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Long-term care and LTC insurance
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“Using Estate Planning to Prepare for Medicaid,”ElderLawAnswers Quote: “Long-term care involves not only a loss of personal autonomy; it also comes at a tremendous financial price. Proper planning can help your family prepare for the financial toll and protect assets for future generations.”   LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: According to this article, estate planning for long-term care includes irrevocable trusts, Medicaid-friendly annuities, and hiding the home from Medicaid estate recovery, but not long-term care insurance. How can private insurance compete with that? Are you supporting the Center for Long-Term Care Reform, the strongest
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“Baby boomers face financial distress and age discrimination,” by Howard Gold, MarketWatch Quote: “They were born and raised during the Golden Age of the U.S. economy, which lasted from 1948 through 1973, when a high school diploma could be a ticket to a well-paying job, a vacation home and a college degree for the kids. It was the postwar American dream, and millions considered it their birthright. But now, after decades of economic upheaval, including three bear markets and two deep recessions in just the past 20 years, many baby boomers, the generation born between 1946 and 1964, are struggling. The eldest
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“Boren-like solution needed nationwide to address Medicaid shortfalls, expert says,” by Danielle Brown, McKnight’s LTC   Quote: “The coronavirus pandemic has put a glaring spotlight on the cost of delivering quality care at nursing homes and how much states are willing to pay for it, and the only true solution would be to fund facilities at a rate commensurate to the oversight regulations in place, according to one top provider executive. … The Boren Amendment, which was in place from 1980 to 1997, required that Medicaid nursing home rates be reasonable and adequate to meet the costs incurred by facilities in
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“Want to age at home instead of a nursing home? Consider this first,” by Alessandra Malito, MarketWatch   Quote: “COVID-19 has changed many Americans’ plans — where they’ll vacation next, when they’ll retire and even how they’ll earn a living. The last year has also had people rethinking where they’ll age, and what kind of care they’ll receive when the time comes. Enter long-term care insurance: policies that aren’t particularly new, but will move to the tops of minds as individuals make these decisions and figure out how to fund their choices.”   LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center
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“We need comprehensive long-term care reform, and we need it now,” by Norma Coe, The Hill   Quote: “No doubt, passing Biden’s plan would make material improvements in many people’s lives. However, it does not challenge the premise that, in this country, long-term care provision and financing will remain primarily a family responsibility, especially for the middle class. It is time to question this principle.”   LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: So, it’s not enough that I take care of myself and my family; I have to take care of you and yours as
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“NAIFA-ND Activates Grassroots to Counter LTC Proposal,” by Julie Harrison, NAIFA    Quote: “North Dakota lawmakers are considering a bill that would impose a three-year ban on the sale of long-term care insurance policies. The bill, SB 2253, has four sponsors seeking to use the three-year moratorium to study the market and premium increases. Members of NAIFA-ND have responded to the bill by personally reaching out to their elected lawmakers to express their grave concerns.”   LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Now that’s a brilliant move. Maybe while they’re at it they should make
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“Here’s a New COVID-19 Nightmare, for You,” by Allison Bell, ThinkAdvisor   Quote: “COVID-19 could make the Americans who have the toughest time saving for retirement even less likely to save, and even less like to use the retirement savings they have to buy annuities. Three economists have reported on research supporting this conclusion in a new working paper published on the National Bureau of Economic Research website.”   LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: I’m from the government and I’m here to help you. First I told you not to worry about saving for retirement, old age
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