“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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“Why LTC Needs to Be Included in a Retirement Plan: Part 1,” by Sandra Timmerman, ThinkAdvisor “Although long-term care is a major worry of people nearing or in retirement, it appears that financial professionals rarely bring up the subject.  According to a recent study, women whose husbands had died wanted to know more about long-term care planning, but very few advisors talked to them about it.2 There are hardly any retirees who would neglect to purchase Medicare Supplemental Insurance when they reach age 65. But, for some reason, buying or planning for long-term care protection isn’t viewed in the same
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“IRS Issues Long-Term Care Premium Deductibility Limits for 2018,” ElderLawAnswers “The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is increasing the amount taxpayers can deduct from their 2018 income as a result of buying long-term care insurance.”   Attained Age Before Close of Taxable Year 2018 Deductible Limits 40 or less $420 More than 40 but not more than 50 $780 More than 50 but not more than 60 $1,560 More than 60 but not more than 70 $4,160 More than 70 $5,200   LTC Comment (from Damon V. Moses, Administrative Coordinator, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): We’ve updated these numbers in our
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“How to support your parents while saving for retirement,” by Jim Sandager, De Moines Register “In their 2015 financial support survey, TD Ameritrade found that 13% of American adults are financially supporting their parents. And it appears to be a growing issue. According to the survey, 19% of millennials are helping pay their parents’ bills, compared to 13% of Generation Xers and 8% of Baby Boomers. So what happens if you are, or become, one of those 13%? How do you help your parents through their retirement end of their lives, while still preparing for your own? . . .
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