“The Medicare Change That Could Cost Your Clients Thousands of Dollars,” by Margie Barrie, ThinkAdvisor   Quote: “After Dr. B leaves, the case manager calls me on my cell phone and insists that we sign the form. I reply that we need the status to be changed to admitted. She says it is the responsibility of the admitting doctor. I explain that the admitting doctor said it was her responsibility. At that point, I mention that I write a column in a national newsletter that has a large circulation.”   LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term
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“Alzheimer’s incidence varies significantly by location,” Healio   Quote: “Research published in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society highlighted significant geographic variation in the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease in the United States. … The researchers found that the overall diagnosed incidence of Alzheimer’s disease decreased from 1.53% in 2007 to 1.09% in 2014, with similar trends for most population areas. Rates of incidence in 2014 ranged from 0% to more than 3% across population areas. Areas of the Midwest and South experienced the highest observed incidence rates. Desai and colleagues noted that little of the geographic variation can be explained by statistical
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“Bill would let people tap retirement accounts for long-term care insurance,” by Lois A. Bowers, McKnight’s Senior Living   Quote: “Individuals would be allowed to withdraw up to $2,000 per year, tax-free, from their retirement accounts to pay for long-term care insurance to fund long-term services and supports under a bill proposed by Sen. Patrick Toomey (R-PA).”   LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Senator Toomey’s staff reached out to me for comments on the bill. I said I support it as it will increase affordability for LTCI and expand the buyer base. But I added
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“Assisted living threatened by looming federal expirations,” by Lois A. Bowers, McKnight’s Senior Living,    Quote: “A federal rule provision and a federal program, both of which help enable older adults to live in assisted living or at home rather than in nursing homes, are set to expire Dec. 31 unless Congress acts.”   LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Perfect follow up to the clipping we just sent because this makes it explicit that these two programs, possibly expiring soon, are the reason Medicaid census in assisted living facilities has leaped to 20%.
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Medicaid initiatives that push long-term home, community care over nursing homes could end this year,” by Danielle Brown, McKnight’s LTC News   Quote: “Funding deadlines are nearing for two initiatives that encourage Medicaid beneficiaries to use long-term home and community care, according to two Kaiser Family Foundation reports. The short-term funding extension for Medicaid’s Money Follows the Person (MFP) program and the spousal impoverishment provision under the Affordable Care Act are both set to expire Dec. 31. States receive enhanced federal matching funds to help seniors and people with disabilities move from institutions to the community through the MFP program,
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“Jeffrey Brown: Saving for Retirement ‘Only Half the Puzzle’,” Morningstar   Quote: “Our guest on the podcast today is Dr. Jeffrey Brown, the Josef and Margot Lakonishok Professor and the Dean of the University of Illinois Gies College of Business. A key focus of Dean Brown’s research is how to create sustainable retirement income, including the role of annuities, Social Security, 401(k)s, pensions and long-term care planning. He’s a research affiliate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, a faculty affiliate of the Institute on Government and Policy Affairs, and a fellow at the TIAA Institute. He also serves as
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“About the Certification for Long-Term Care (CLTC),” by Sarah Fisher, Yahoo! Finance   Quote: “With millions of people living into their 70s, 80s and 90s, the costs of healthcare, long-term care, aides and nursing homes are straining finances in many families. In response to this chronic problem, the financial and insurance industries have created many specializations for professional advisors. One of these, the Certification for Long-Term Care (CLTC), focuses on the complexities and expenses of services for the aged. If you’re making a plan for yourself or a loved one, you may want to engage an advisor with this certification.
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“60 Seconds with Steve Monroe,” by Steve Monroe, The Senior Care Investor   Quote: “Are people in our nation’s capital really that out of touch with reality on the ground? Yes. “Finding quality staff is hard enough in skilled nursing facilities, but then getting reimbursed to pay for them is even harder. So, my senator from Connecticut is a co-sponsor of the Quality Care for Nursing Home Residents Act. Now, who doesn’t want quality care for nursing home residents? I assume everyone, except those who would like to put the sector out of business. “For your standard 120-bed nursing facility,
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“5 Facts About the Senate Finance Long-Term Care Hearing,” by Allison Bell, ThinkAdvisor “A Republican on the Senate Finance Committee says he’s trying to do what he can to revive the market for long-term care insurance (LTCI). Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., announced Wednesday, at a hearing on Alzheimer’s awareness organized by the committee’s health subcommittee, that he’s circulating a discussion draft of a plan for letting people use money from their retirement plans to pay for LTCI coverage. … Here are four other facts about what happened during the hearing: … Links to resources related to the hearing, including a video recording
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“The typical American heir is now a middle-class 50-something who puts the money toward retirement,” by Tanza Loudenback, Business Insider “Over the last 30 years, Americans receiving inheritances have gone from an average age of 41 to 51, according to a new white paper published by United Income from Capital One. As of 2016, more than a quarter of inheritances go to people over age 61. Oftentimes, they’re used to bolster financial security in retirement. Researchers say Americans receiving larger inheritances later in life is the result of increased life expectancy, solid market returns, and retirees spending less than they
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