“MA Members Could See High Out-of-Pocket Costs For COVID-19,” by Hannah Nelson, HealthPayerIntelligence  Quote: “High out-of-pocket costs may dissuade some Medicare Advantage beneficiaries from seeking COVID-19 care as payers eliminate cost-sharing waivers, according to a new American Journal of Preventive Medicine study that calls for legislation to mandate insurers cover hospitalizations from the virus. While most payers currently cover COVID-19 hospitalization costs in full for Medicare Advantage (MA) beneficiaries, some insurers have started to roll back cost-sharing waivers, which may suggest that coverage for COVID-19 hospitalizations is on its way out.”   LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform: Sure, if the government
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“One of Ten in U.S. May Have to Switch Occupations Post Pandemic,” by Rich Miller, Bloomberg  Quote: “One out of every ten U.S. workers — about 17 million, all told — will likely be forced to leave their jobs and take up new occupations by 2030 as Covid-19’s after-effects destroy huge swathes of low-paying positions in a labor market that was primed for disruption before the pandemic. Women, minorities, the young and the less educated will probably be the hardest hit by what consultant firm McKinsey & Co. foresees in a new report as an unprecedented hollowing out of low-wage work in
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“‘The situation is dire’: Provider group seeks $5 billion in COVID relief for senior living,” by Lois A. Bowers, McKnight’s Senior Living   Quote: “The next COVID-19 relief package from the federal government must include $5 billion in funding for assisted living, independent living, memory care and continuing care retirement communities to help with personal protective equipment, staff and testing needs, Argentum said Friday. … To date, assisted living providers have been promised $3 billion, or 1.7%, of the total Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Provider Relief Fund, and have received even less, Argentum said. By comparison,
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“Was COVID-19 Really the Killer?,” by Ed Susman, MedPageToday Quote: “As deaths attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic soar above 200,000, physicians and medical examiners have to decide whether decedents with positive SARS-CoV-2 tests died from COVID-19 or merely ‘with’ it — with autopsies providing the only sure answer. At a press conference at the 2020 virtual meeting of the College of American Pathologists (CAP), specialists noted that while autopsies – the gold standard for cause of death – can’t be performed on everyone, national totals for COVID-19 deaths probably come close to an accurate count.”   LTC Comment:   For more on
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