“Issue Brief: Use of Paid and Unpaid Personal Help by Medicare Beneficiaries Needing Long-Term Services and Supports,” by Amber Willink, Karen Davis, John Mulcahy, Jennifer L. Wolff, Commonwealth Fund “This analysis shows that the amount of unpaid care provided varies little between those who receive both paid and unpaid support and those who receive unpaid support only, suggesting that paid care does not replace unpaid care, but supplements it. Addressing and supporting the need for LTSS can result in savings to individuals and the government through delayed nursing home and Medicaid entry. A public LTSS financing solution, like Medicare Help
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“Could quality measures be causing deaths?,” by Arthur Allen, Politico “This morning we’re offering you a report by David Pittman that doctors are avoiding some of the nation’s sickest patients for fear that they’ll get dinged by Medicare or graded poorly on health quality measures. . . . … A recent study found doctors who served higher-risk patients under MACRA’s precursor, the Value-Based Payment Modifier, had lower quality scores, giving them fewer bonuses and more penalties. Doctors worry that if they have too many sick patients they’ll get poor scores, which will make prospective patients think they are bad doctors.
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“When home-care costs go through the roof,” by Donald Jay Korn, Financial Planning “For clients who need long-term attention, the home-sweet-home solution unfortunately may be a money pit. . . . Advisers can become part of the solution by apprising clients of the possible costs involved, and starting early with a financial plan designed to help clients stay put as long as possible.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Article urges early LTC planning and recommends LTC insurance and home equity conversion. When home-care costs go through the roof #home-care #goldencareagent
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“Drugs intended to calm people with Alzheimer’s may lead to early death,” by Linda Searing, Washington Post “A study published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry found people with Alzheimer’s may die earlier when administered benzodiazepines, reports the Washington Post. . . . Those taking benzos were 41 percent more likely to have died than those who did not take these drugs, with the strongest mortality risk occurring within four months of starting the medication.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Excuse the dark humor, but this is one way to reduce the
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“OneAmerica Sees LTC Solutions Knowledge Gap,” by Allison Bell, ThinkAdvisor “Marketers at OneAmerica say they have new evidence that ignorance continues to be a barrier to use of insurance-based long-term care planning arrangements. . . . About 25% of the participants said they believe they have some kind of insurance that will help them pay for long-term care (LTC) services. But 13% of the participants said they have never heard of long-term care insurance (LTCI), and 9% said they don’t have any insured LTC planning products because they don’t know how to get the products. About 53% of the survey
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“Aging, the longevity economy and what it means to you,” by Robert Powell, USA Today “Joe Coughlin, the director of the MIT Age Lab, wants to help companies unlock the world’s fastest-growing, most misunderstood market — aging Boomers. In his new book, The Longevity Economy, describes how companies can prepare for the guaranteed — an aging world. Below he answered our questions about his book and an $8 trillion market.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Some new ideas on adapting commercially to the age wave. Aging, the longevity economy and what it means
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“State’s long-term care savings plan winding down,” by Don Walton, Scottsbluff Star Herald “Nebraska’s first-of-its kind long-term care savings plan, which was created by the Legislature in 2006, will come to an end on Jan. 1 due to a low level of participation. . . . Participants could deduct up to $1,000 from their federally adjusted gross income for Nebraska state income tax purposes by depositing an equal amount in a designated account. The program had 519 participants at the end of last year. . . . ‘The worthy goal was to reduce older Nebraskans’ dependency on Medicaid and promote personal
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“SNFs’ neighborhoods, Medicaid reliance linked to providers’ fiscal stress,” by Emily Mongan, McKnight’s LTC News “The economic and racial makeup of the neighborhood where a nursing home is located plays a big role in how financially stressed it is, a new study confirms. . . . The study’s State University of New York-based authors found skilled nursing facilities in neighborhoods with a higher concentration of minorities were more likely to be fiscally stressed and have lower quality ratings than other homes.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Why do you suppose that is? SNFs
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