“A New Public/Private Long-Term Care Financing Plan,” by Howard Gleckman, Forbes “Two years ago, the Long-Term Care Financing Collaborative proposed a public catastrophic long-term care insurance program. In effect, people would use private insurance, savings, or home equity to pay for the first few years of their care needs, then the government would pick up costs for people with true catastrophic needs. Today, two highly-respected long-term care experts offered an important refinement to that basic structure: A plan that ties the time period before insurance benefits are available to a person’s income. As a result, lower-income people could access new
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“LTC Insurance Payouts Increased 6 Percent In 2017,” by Jadah Riley, Financial Advisor “U.S. long-term-care insurance companies paid out $9.2 billion in benefits to 295,000 recipients last year, up 6 percent from $8.65 billion a year earlier, according to the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.  ‘The total of all benefits paid increased as did the number of long-term-care insurance policyholders on claim,’ said Jesse Slome, director of American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (AALTCI). … ‘Long-term-care insurance provides more than just money,’ Slome said. ‘It’s as much about having control and choices, while protecting your retirement plans and lifestyle.’”
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“70% of Senior Living Communities Don’t Offer Discounted Rents,” by Mary Kate Nelson, Senior Housing News “If there’s one thing that consistently divides the senior living industry, it’s discounting. The practice has been described as “brand-destroying” by Brandywine President and CEO Brenda Bacon and accused of sending consumers the wrong message by various marketing companies, but some providers, like Capital Senior Living (NYSE: CSU), have also put it to use during periods of lower-than-ideal occupancy. As it turns out, though, offering discounts to new residents isn’t all that common. … Almost 70% of survey respondents said they do not offer any type of discount
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“Amazon, Buffett’s Berkshire And JPMorgan To Launch Healthcare Company,” by Bruce Japsen, Forbes “Online retailer Amazon, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase & Co. said Tuesday  they will form an ‘independent company’ to improve healthcare for their hundreds of thousands of U.S. employees and lower costs. They said the initial focus will be on ‘technology solutions’ that will provide U.S. employees and their families with ‘simplified, high-quality and transparent healthcare at a reasonable cost.’ The statement didn’t disclose many details about the venture, saying it was in the ‘early planning stages,’ with executives acknowledging healthcare’s many complexities. The three giants did
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“CCRCs Gain Luster as Standalone SNFs Fade,” by Jack Silverstein, Senior Housing News “While skilled nursing is perhaps more needed than ever, the service offering is evolving toward greater integration along the care continuum due to increased resident frailty and longer resident lifespans, according to experts who spoke with Senior Housing News. The changes are felt in two key ways. * Increased need for hospital-grade health care resources and services on site, as well as more cohesive partnerships with hospitals * Increased need for continuing care retirement communities (CCRC), which create a seamless transitional experience as residents move through the
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“What Will Senior Housing Look Like in 2028?,” by Deb Hipp, Next Avenue “‘Significant changes are coming as we move out of the World War II generation to the baby boomer generation,’ says Steve Maag, director, residential communities, at LeadingAge, a national association dedicated to advocacy, education and research on aging. That’s because boomers have higher expectations as consumers and a history of having those expectations met, Maag says. … With that in mind, what will senior housing look like in 10 years? A Place for Mom checked with experts on aging, senior living communities and technology to find out.
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