“California is leading the way in Medicaid abuse,” by Jon Coupal, The Orange County Register   Policy Suggestions “In approving California’s request to permanently dissolve asset verification for Medi-Cal, CMS is setting a dangerous precedent for the rest of the nation. The situation demands scrutiny and a transparent debate. Rather than allowing this policy shift to unfold in the shadows, a public debate should be robust and inclusive. This is a decision that affects not only those in need of healthcare assistance but also every taxpayer who bears the financial burden of such expansion, including future generations.”   LTC Comment,
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“Feds Rein In Use Of Predictive Software That Limits Care For Medicare Advantage Patients,” KFF Health News   Policy Suggestions “The federal government will try to even the playing field next year, when the CMS begins restricting how Medicare Advantage plans use predictive technology tools to make some coverage decisions. About half the people eligible for full Medicare benefits are enrolled in the private plans, attracted by their lower costs and enhanced benefits, and a host of nonmedical extras like transportation. Insurers receive a monthly payment from the federal government for each enrollee, regardless of how much care they need. HHS
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“Does Putting Your Home in a Trust Protect It From Medicaid?,” by Patrick Villanova, Yahoo!Finance “Today, Paragon is releasing an important new report, Long-Term Care: The Solution, authored by Stephen Moses. … Policy Suggestions “An individual can protect their assets from Medicaid, including their home, by placing them into a trust. Essentially, the assets become owned by the trust and not by the individual. This mechanism can decrease the individual’s asset count for Medicaid eligibility, presenting a way to potentially conserve wealth and secure necessary medical care. However, like all decisions, this presents benefits and potential risks. Involving a financial advisor in navigating these complexities
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“Release of ‘Long-Term Care: The Solution,’” by Brian Blase, Paragon Health Institute “Today, Paragon is releasing an important new report, Long-Term Care: The Solution, authored by Stephen Moses. … Policy Suggestions Medicaid LTC should be restored as a safety net for indigent elderly people. Lawmakers should eliminate the ability to access publicly funded LTC while preserving wealth. This paper details seven options to empower younger and middle-age Americans to meet a new, publicized individual LTC planning responsibility. This would unleash wealth currently unused for LTC that remains locked in home equity, individual retirement accounts, life insurance, and estates and reorient the LTC
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“AHCA CEO: Nursing Home Policy Nightmare Just Starting, Business Nightmare Persists — But Clinical Nightmare Over,” by Tim Mullaney, Skilled Nursing News “The ‘clinical nightmare’ created by Covid-19 has come to an end, but the ‘business nightmare’ related to the pandemic is ongoing, and the ‘policy nightmare’ has only just begun. That’s according to Mark Parkinson, CEO and president of the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), the largest nursing home provider association in the United States. ‘What’s keeping me up right now is the policy nightmare,’ Parkinson said Monday at the AHCA/NCAL Annual Convention and Expo,
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“Shortcomings of the ACA Exchanges: Far Less Enrollment at a Much Higher Cost,” by Brian Blase, Paragon Health Institute “Please join us October 5th from 2:00-3:00pm for a quick virtual briefing on a recent report from the Paragon Health Institute, titled The Shortcomings of the ACA Exchanges: Far Less Enrollment at a Much Higher Cost. This study was authored by two health actuaries, Daniel Cruz and Greg Fann, and analyzed the efficiency of the Affordable Care Act’s individual market changes as well as the efficiency of premium subsidy expansions that occurred during both the Trump and Biden administrations. Paragon’s Brian Blase and Theo
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“More than half of older Americans will need long-term term care. Many can’t afford the rising cost,” by Eva Rothenberg, CNN “People living in low-income communities are in danger of a slew of poor health outcomes such as chronic illness and nutritional deficiencies due to higher stress levels, unstable living conditions, and a lack of access to healthy foods and health care as they age, which means lower-income earners who may not qualify for government services like Medicaid will still likely face higher premium costs if they try to buy a long-term care insurance policy.” LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses,
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“How Medicare Impedes Health Care Innovation,” by Brian Blase, Paragon Health Institute “Harvard Business School professor and one of the deans of consumer-driven health reform Regina Herzlinger has remarked that “choice supports competition, competition fuels innovation, and innovation is the only way to make things better and cheaper.” Unfortunately, there are significant constraints on innovation improving health care quality and driving cost reductions. Many of these problems are because of the structure of the Medicare program, an issue that Paragon’s Joe Albanese tackles in his new paper, Roadblock to Progress: How Medicare Impedes Health Care Innovation.” LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care
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“Gallup Poll Shows Public’s Deep Aversion to Nursing Homes, 42% of Americans Give ‘D’ or ‘F’,” by Shelby Grebbin, Skilled Nursing News “One of the central findings of the survey indicates that Americans hold a less than favorable view of nursing home quality. Over 40% of respondents gave nursing homes negative ratings for overall quality of care, with 36% assigning them a “D” (poor) grade and 6% an “F” (fail). Only a small percentage rated nursing homes positively, with just 1% giving them an “A” (excellent) and 8% a “B” (good). The average rating for nursing-home quality of care, therefore,
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“Long-Term Care Claims Skyrocket In 2022,” Advisor Magazine “Claims in the long-term care (LTC) insurance segment skyrocketed 20% in 2022, creating a difficult combination with inadequate pricing assumptions on older blocks of business that have forced significant reserve increases, according to a new AM Best report. Rising interest rates have provided some relief to the companies underwriting this high-risk product, given the potential boost to investment yields. However, the market challenges for this segment will persist despite the improved interest rate environment, according to the Best’s Market Segment Report, ‘Long-Term Care Claims Skyrocket in 2022.’” LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses,
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