“It’s time to take control of Medicaid before it takes control of us. Unless we act — and there is little evidence that we will — Medicaid increasingly becomes another mechanism by which government skews spending toward the old and away from the young. In the raging debate over the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), this is a subject that neither Republicans nor Democrats dare touch. It’s an ominous omission that obscures the overhaul Medicaid really needs.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Excellent column except for his recommendation that the feds take over the
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“Existing evidence on feasible options for financing LTC are sparse. Many states have implemented “Long-Term Care Partnerships,” which enable individuals to qualify for Medicaid coverage as soon as they have exhausted their private LTC insurance policy. Other current options include combined life insurance and LTC insurance policies, which reduce life insurance payouts depending on LTC utilization, or life settlements, which allow individuals to sell their life insurance policy once they reach a certain age. State and national policies to support family caregivers are limited in scope and often underutilized.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care
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“Elderly people are suffering concussions and other brain injuries from falls at what appear to be unprecedented rates, according to a new report from U.S. government researchers. The reason for the increase isn’t clear, the report’s authors said. But one likely factor is that a growing number of elderly people are living at home and taking repeated tumbles, said one expert.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): The panacea of home and community-based care, promoted for so long by academics as preferred by the elderly and costing less, does have certain downsides such as
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“Skilled nursing occupancy rates hit their lowest level on record in the fourth quarter of 2016, according to a report released Wednesday. The National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care’s Skilled Nursing Data Report shows the national occupancy rate fell from 82.6% to 81.8%, the lowest level since the organization began collecting data in 2011. Occupancy rates also experienced their largest ever year-over-year drop during the fourth quarter. . . . Medicaid remained the top source of patient volume in the fourth quarter of 2016, and continued to cover a growing percentage of total patient days, the report found.
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“The annual summary of the latest statistics on the older population, A Profile of Older Americans: 2016, is now available. This profile covers 15 topical areas including population, income and poverty, living arrangements, education, health, and caregiving. A description of the highlights of this document is below and the full document is attached. The profile has proven to be a very useful statistical summary in a user friendly format. It is a web based publication and is posted on the following website: https://aoa.acl.gov/Aging_Statistics/Profile/index.aspx” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): This is one of the
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