“CMS overhaul of Medicaid may face legal challenges,” by Virgil Dickson, Modern Healthcare “The CMS will approve requests coming in from various states to impose work requirements on Medicaid enrollees, according to CMS Administrator Seema Verma. While only a handful of states have asked for waivers for the requirement, others could follow.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): If CMS will approve waivers to require the able-bodied to work to receive Medicaid, then it’s hopeful waivers to reduce the LTC home equity exemption or close other eligibility loopholes would pass muster too. CMS overhaul
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“‘Financial Caregiving’ Is Widespread and Expensive,” by Emily Zulz, ThinkAdvisor “While many aspects of caregiving have been previously studied, financial caregiving remains largely unexamined. A Merrill Lynch study, conducted in partnership with Age Wave — “The Journey of Caregiving: Honor, Responsibility and Financial Complexity” — finds that 92% of caregivers say they are also financial caregivers, performing at least one aspect of financial caregiving during their caregiving journey. . . . In fact, according to the report, after two years of receiving care, 88% of care recipients are no longer managing their finances independently.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center
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“Living Well, Even With Alzheimer’s,” by Gayatri Devi, Wall Street Journal “Many people have the idea that Alzheimer’s is a one-way street to inexorable decline. They believe that treatment is ineffective, which often discourages them from seeking a diagnosis when facing memory loss. But the reality of the disease is very different. Having worked as a neurologist for over 20 years, I see Alzheimer’s not as a single disease but as a spectrum disorder—with a wide range of symptoms, responses to treatment and prognoses. Early diagnosis and treatment has kept many of my patients stable.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A.
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“How California skims federal Medicaid payments to fund a powerful union,” by Sam Han and Will Swaim, California Policy Center “Medicaid pays for elderly and disabled individuals who need support with activities of daily living to receive support at home from a caregiver. But California and 10 other states deduct union dues from caregivers’ Medicaid payments, in many cases without the knowledge or approval of patients and their caregivers. Given the fact that many caregivers work in their own homes caring for loved ones and relatives, unions typically have little role to play in exchange for the dues they collect.
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“Health Care Spending Could Reach 40% of Federal Total by 2047,” by Maggie Flynn, Skilled Nursing News “If current policies don’t change, federal spending on Medicare, Medicaid, and other health care programs will grow faster than any other category over the next three decades — eventually reaching 40% of the federal budget. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) presented these statistics in a Wednesday presentation to the Council for Affordable Health Coverage and the American Action Forum, painting a striking picture of the future of Medicaid, the number-one skilled nursing payer.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Something has
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