“How Your Stimulus Check Affects Medicaid Eligibility,” ElderLawAnswers   Quote: “The coronavirus relief bill includes a direct payment to most Americans, but this has Medicaid recipients wondering how the payment will affect them. Because the payment is not income, it should not count against a Medicaid recipient’s eligibility.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Another taxpayer funded windfall for Medicaid planners      
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“The Economics of Lockdowns,” Cato Institute   Quote: “The COVID-19 pandemic has had dire effects on both public health and the economy. In reaction to the virus’s spread, many states have implemented stay‐​at‐​home orders and closures of all ‘nonessential businesses.’ And national lockdowns have been mandated all over Europe. These lockdowns raise all sorts of important economic questions: How much of the coming downturn will be driven by government shutdowns as opposed to the changing consumer and producer behavior we’d expect because of the virus? What will be the net consequences of lockdowns for economic welfare? What factors determine the
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“Pandemic Delays Federal Probe Into Medicare Advantage Health Plans,” by Fred Schulte, Kaiser Health News   Quote: “Federal health officials, citing a need to focus on the COVID-19 pandemic, have temporarily halted some efforts to recover hundreds of millions of dollars in overpayments made to Medicare Advantage health plans. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says the decision will allow insurers and the agency to ‘focus on patient care,’ and will last ‘until after the public health emergency has ended.’ Critics aren’t convinced that’s a wise idea.”   LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care
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“China Oceanwide Renews Genworth Deal Financing Arrangement,” by Allison Bell, ThinkAdvisor     Quote: “Genworth Financial Inc. says its would-be buyer, China Oceanwide Holdings Group Co. Ltd., has confirmed having one part of the deal financing in place and is now working on finalizing the rest of the financing. China Oceanwide agreed to pay a total of $2.7 billion for Genworth in October 2016.”   LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): The finish line?      
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“Feds relax Medicare Advantage regulations amid pandemic,” by Bob Herman, Axios     Quote: “Federal payments to Medicare Advantage companies will increase by 1.66% in 2021, and several of the insurance program’s policies are being waived or changed due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said Monday. The bottom line: Medicare Advantage continues to grow at a lofty rate, and the Trump administration is protecting those health insurers through the pandemic and into next year. Between the lines:New regulatory changes, issued due to the coronavirus, are arguably more important than the payment increase.”    
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