“HC2 Completes One LTCI Deal, Seeks More: Have an unwanted LTCI block, and some cash? Philip Falcone’s company might be interested,” by Allison Bell, ThinkAdvisor “Continental General Insurance Company, a subsidiary of HC2 Holdings Inc., today completed a major long-term care insurance (LTCI) deal with Humana Inc. — and Continental managers are out looking for more LTCI risk transfer deals. Continental General paid $10,000 in cash to Humana Inc., for the shares of KMG America Corp., the parent company of Kanawha Insurance Company. In exchange, Continental General received Kanawha’s assets, $195 million in extra cash from Humana, and responsibility for about 29,300 LTCI
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“Learning To Live Well With Dementia,” by Judith Graham, Washington Post “Imagine your doctor telling you have Alzheimer’s disease or some other type of dementia. Then, imagine being told, ‘I’m sorry, there’s nothing we can do. You might want to start getting your affairs in order.’ Time and again, people newly diagnosed with these conditions describe feeling subsequently overcome by hopelessness. In their new book, ‘Better Living With Dementia,’ Laura Gitlin and Nancy Hodgson — two of the nation’s leading experts on care for people with cognitive impairment — argue forcefully that it’s time for this ‘cycle of despair’ to
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“How Medicare’s Private Plans Surpass the Traditional Program,” by Kevin Pham and Robert Moffit, The Heritage Foundation “Medicare Advantage, a system of competing private health plans, is surpassing the traditional Medicare program in delivering high quality, cost-effective care. The Medicare Advantage population essentially mirrored the traditional Medicare population. Congress should recognize the Medicare Advantage program’s superior performance in serving Medicare beneficiaries in a cost-effective fashion.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Heritage paper on the advantages of Medicare Advantage compared to traditional Medicare. How Medicare’s Private Plans Surpass the Traditional Program #medicare #goldencareagent
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“Medicaid Officials Target Home Health Aides’ Union Dues,” by Shefali Luthra, National Public Radio “Medicaid home care aides — hourly workers who help elderly and disabled people with daily tasks like eating, getting dressed and bathing — are emerging as the latest target in the ongoing power struggle between some conservative lawmakers and organized labor. … A rule proposed recently by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, under the Trump administration, would prohibit home health aides who are paid directly by Medicaid from having their union dues automatically deducted from their paychecks, though it doesn’t name these fees
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