“The Ethics of Adjusting Your Assets to Qualify for Medicaid,” by Ron Lieber, New York Times “Would the care be worse if you or your relatives were on Medicaid, and because of that, limited to whatever nursing home or home-care agency was available? If so, is the most ethical choice to urge aging parents or relatives to keep as much money as possible to pay out of pocket for the care of their choice? I’ve been struggling to answer this question for weeks now, and if you have any experience with it yourself, I’d like to hear from you. Watch
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“My uncle with dementia needs long-term care — should I refinance his house?,” by Quentin Fottrell, MarketWatch “Here are some of the myths associated with Medicaid. And, as I mentioned in my previous response, take the necessary steps to become his power of attorney that allows you to make medical and financial decisions on his behalf. Medicaid, for those who qualify, pays for more than half of long-term care expenses. Nearly 20% of Medicaid expenses currently go to the elderly, primarily for long-term care, as so many people in your uncle’s position exhaust their savings and assets in an attempt
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“Mississippi not talking about the wealthy people on Medicaid,” by Anna Wolfe, Clarion- “Clinton attorney Ronald Morton helps the elderly protect their stuff — sometimes so they can use Medicaid to pay for long-term, end-of-life health care as opposed to spending their savings. . . . While Mississippi lawmakers discuss cracking down on the state’s growing Medicaid rolls by vetting applicants more closely, this is not a scenario that enters the conversation.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform):  Our new report “How to Fix Long-Term Care Financing” to be released next week explains why
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“Nine lifestyle changes can reduce dementia risk, study says,” by Fergus Walsh, BBC News “One in three cases of dementia could be prevented if more people looked after their brain health throughout life, according to an international study in the Lancet. It lists nine key risk factors including lack of education, hearing loss, smoking and physical inactivity. . . . Nine factors that contribute to the risk of dementia Mid-life hearing loss – responsible for 9% of the risk Failing to complete secondary education – 8% Smoking – 5% Failing to seek early treatment for depression – 4% Physical inactivity
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“Ranking the States by Fiscal Condition 2017 Edition,” by Eileen Norcross and Olivia Gonzales, Mercatus Center   “The fiscal health of America’s states affects all its citizens. Indicators of fiscal health come in a variety of forms—from a state’s ability to attract businesses and how much it taxes to what services it provides and how well it keeps its promises to public-sector employees. To get a sense of a particular state’s fiscal outlook requires consulting a state’s comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR), which, at hundreds of pages, is unwieldy for even the most dedicated analyst. But in the Mercatus Center
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UnitedHealth Group Predicts 50% Of Seniors Will Choose Medicare Advantage,” by Bruce Japsen, Forbes   “Medicare Advantage plans could quickly become the choice of one in two seniors as millions flock to privately administered health benefits for the government’s health insurance for elderly Americans, the nation’s largest health insurer is predicting.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): MA continues to grow. UnitedHealth Group Predicts 50% Of Seniors Will Choose Medicare Advantage #goldencareagent #medicare
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“The US is losing ground when it comes to retirement security,” by Jessica Dickler, CNBC “All your retirement dreams can come true, just maybe not in the U.S. Among the leading nations for retirement security, the United States didn’t even crack the top 15, according to the 2017 Global Retirement Index by Natixis Global Asset Management “As much as 88 percent of Americans agree that the nation faces a retirement crisis, according to one survey by the Washington, D.C.-based National Institute on Retirement Security pension research group.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): With
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“Social Security trust fund will be depleted in 17 years, according to trustees report,” by Philip Moeller, PBS NewsHour “The annual trustee reports on Social Security and Medicare were released earlier today and showed little change from last year. With both programs facing longer-term deficits, these annual report cards have become a doomsday clock for senior benefits. The top line of today’s reports is that the estimated insolvency date of Social Security’s big trust fund is 2034 — unchanged from last year. The other big fund is Medicare’s hospital trust fund. Last year, it was projected to run out of
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“Long-Term Care Insurance Association Reports 39 Percent Increase In Consumer Inquiries,” AALTCI “The number of consumers requesting information and costs for long-term care insurance increased nearly 39 percent for the first six months of 2017 compared to the prior year reports the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance. ‘This is a significant increase and an indication of enormous growing interest among consumers in the importance of long term care planning,’ states Jesse Slome, director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (AALTCI). The increase represents the number of consumers who completed a request for long-term care insurance costs on
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“Don’t ignore this serious retirement threat,” by Steve Vernon, CBS MoneyWatch “Many older Americans have their heads in the sand regarding the potential threat posed by long-term care. They think somebody else will pay for it, but that’s usually not the case. Unfortunately, Medicare, Medicaid and medical insurance policies don’t cover most long-term care costs, and most people end up paying for care out of their own resources. In addition, many people underestimate how much long-term care really costs. How real is this threat? You can read the statistics, but if you want to truly understand how serious the problem
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