“McKnight’s 40 for 40: Robert G. Kramer,” by John O’Connor, McKnight’s LTC News   Quote: “Editor’s note: As part of the 40th anniversary of McKnight’s, McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Long-Term Care News are recognizing 40 notable newsmakers. Each week, the brands will highlight a, high-profile leader from the past four decades. Published installments of the series can be found here. When people discuss how freely capital now flows in this sector, demographics and a strong economy usually get the credit. Often overlooked is the man perhaps most responsible for opening the spigot: Robert G. Kramer.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A.
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“Cannabis use rising among older adults, study shows,” by Alicia Lasek,  McKnight’s LTC News   Quote: “The number of older Americans using cannabis has increased by 75% in recent years, a new analysis shows. But investigators caution that knowledge about the drug’s effects on older users has not kept pace. The proportion of adults ages 65 and older who reported past-year marijuana use increased from 2.4% to 4.2% from 2015 to 2018, according to researchers from New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Not exactly the “drugs, sex
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“Medicare Managers Hope to Lift Agent Referral Fee Cap,” by Allison Bell, ThinkAdvisor“Medicare Managers Hope to Lift Agent Referral Fee Cap,” by Allison Bell, ThinkAdvisor   Quote: “Medicare program managers want to give health insurers more flexibility over pay for agents and brokers. Officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have proposed lifting the current $100 limit on Medicare Advantage plan enrollment fees. Instead, an insurer would have to keep a producer’s total Medicare plan sales compensation under the ‘fair market value’ compensation limit for the year. This year, for example, the annual producer compensation limit for a Medicare
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“State considers end to ‘spousal refusal’ to pay for nursing home care,” by Michael Gormley, Newsday   Quote: “New York is considering ending a practice that allows one spouse to legally refuse to pay for nursing home care for the other — while passing the bill to Medicaid. … New York and Florida are the only states that allow the practice. But this year, the state Medicaid Redesign Team is considering whether to scrap the decades-old practice, said state budget spokesman Freeman Klopett. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo appointed the group of health care leaders to cut $2.5 billion from Medicaid, a federal and state health care system.” LTC Comment (from
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“Continental, a Long-Term Care Insurance Block Buyer, Is Up for Sale,” by Allison Bell, ThinkAdvisor   Quote: “The managers of HC2 Holdings Inc say they are involved in ‘advanced discussions’ to sell Continental Insurance Group Ltd. and Continental General Insurance Company. HC2 is a publicly traded company based in New York that buys companies in many different industries in addition to insurance. Continental Insurance is holding company for Continental LTC Inc., and Continental LTC controls Continental General. Continental Insurance and its subsidiaries have gotten attention in the long-term care insurance (LTCI) world by buying several LTCI issuers from their parents.”
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“Long-Term Care Costs,” by Douglas Holtz-Eakin, The Daily Dish   Quote: “Making good policy also good politics is hard. But sometimes good policy is just hard all by itself. Designing a tax reform? Easy. Making Social Security sustainable and reducing the growth of debt? Did it in one Metro ride. Immigration reform to bolster economic growth, while preserving border security, a commitment to families, and welcoming arms for refugees? Hard. Health care reform that provides more insurance coverage, higher value care, and reduced growth in entitlement spending. Really, really hard. Financing the future growth of long-term care support and services?
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“Mediterranean diet improves gut health in elders; tied to lower frailty,” by Alicia Lasek, McKnight’s LTC News   Quote: “Elders who adhered to the diet had an increased amount of the gut flora that are associated with lower frailty risk and improved cognitive function. In addition, these healthy gut microorganisms are linked to a lower risk of disease-associated inflammation, said Paul W. O’Toole, Ph.D., from University College Cork, Ireland. Age and body mass index did not appear to affect the results. … The traditional Mediterranean diet includes large amounts of fresh fruits, vegetables, beans and grains, as well as olive
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“GE’s Long-Term-Care Insurance Liability Is a Non-Issue in 2020,” by Al Root, Barron’s   Quote: “General Electric CEO Larry Culp made an important insurance disclosure at an investor conference Wednesday. It’s good news for the company. The reserve shortfall for the company’s legacy long- term-care insurance book of business is far smaller than expected.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Good GE-LTCI news for a change.  
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“VA Health Care: Veterans’ Use of Long-Term Care Is Increasing, and VA Faces Challenges in Meeting the Demand,” Government Accountability Office (GAO)   Quote: “Veterans rely on long-term care from the VA for everything from occasional help around the house to round-the-clock care. Eligibility is primarily based on the extent of a service-connected disability. Demand for long-term care increased 14% and VA’s expected spending went up 33% from FY 2014-2018. VA projects demand will continue to increase and spending will double by 2037. VA faces 3 key challenges to meeting long-term care needs: finding enough workers, providing care where geographically
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“Medicare Advantage enrollment swells,” by Bob Herman, Axios   Quote: “Roughly 24.4 million seniors and people with disabilities were enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan as of this month, a 9.4% jump from the same time in 2019, according to the latest federal data analyzed by Axios. … he 9.4% annual enrollment growth is well above the 6.8% growth rate in 2019, and people flocked to pretty much every insurer selling Medicare Advantage plans this past season — from startups to well-established carriers.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): MA rising.    
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