“Medicaid Could Save $2.6 Billion a Year With Dip in Smoking,” by Robert Preidt, HealthDay “Just a 1% decrease in the number of Medicaid recipients who smoke could save the insurance program billions of dollars a year, a new study suggests. Over one year, that small decline in smoking and its associated health harms would lead to $2.6 billion in total Medicaid savings the following year and millions for each state, researchers found.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): The sad irony is that those smoking quitters will live longer, die slower, and cost
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“Medicare Will Be Insolvent by 2026, Government Report Warns,” by Andrew Taylor, Time “The financial condition of the government’s bedrock retirement programs for middle- and working-class Americans remains shaky, with Medicare pointed toward insolvency by 2026, according to a report Monday by the government’s overseers of Medicare and Social Security. It paints a sobering picture of the programs, though it’s relatively unchanged from last year’s update. Social Security would become insolvent in 2035, one year later than previously estimated.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): By any legitimate measure both of these programs are
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“Is 75 the new 65? Wealthy countries need to rethink what it means to be old,” by Warren Sanderson and Sergei Scherbov, The Conversation “When we say that 75 is the new 65, we mean something similar – that 75-year-olds now have the same remaining life expectancy as 65-year-olds in the past. Adjusting age for changes in remaining life expectancy is called adjustment for “age inflation.” It’s just like adjusting the value of the dollar for changes in purchasing power. … When exactly will population aging end? It depends on whether you’re looking at the adjusted proportion of people who are
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“Washington State’s Public Long-Term Care Program Is On The Verge Of Becoming Law,” by Howard Gleckman, Forbes “A first-in-the-nation state long-term care insurance program is likely to become law within a few weeks. In Washington State, both houses of the legislature have approved the measure, though they must resolve relatively minor differences between the two bills. Gov. Jay Inslee has promised to sign it. … At a recent industry conference, private long-term care insurance carriers expressed some interest in developing products to supplement Washington’s relatively limited state coverage.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Will
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