long term care reform Archives - Page 12 of 13

Medicare Actuary: Few Will Buy CLASS Long-Term Care Insurance

In a Nov. 13 report, Chief Medicare actuary Rick Foster estimates that the CLASS Act--the proposed national long-term care insurance program--faces "a significant risk of failure" because few would buy the coverage, and those who do would likely have high long-term care expenses. This phenomenon, called adverse selection, would drive up the cost of premiums and further discourage healthy people from buying coverage. The study will [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2009-11-15T19:39:47-05:00November 15th, 2009|long term care reform, long-term care financing|4 Comments

CLASS Act is in House Health Bill, But Pitfalls Remain

It was a good day for supporters of the CLASS Act, the national long-term care insurance program that has been on the edges of the health reform debate. A version of the measure was included in the House Democratic reform bill introduced today by Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The decison all but assures the long-term care proposal will be included in the [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2009-10-29T16:43:38-04:00October 29th, 2009|Health reform, long term care reform, long-term care financing|0 Comments

Changes and Growing Optimism for the CLASS Act

I spent yesterday morning at a Kaiser Family Foundation panel discussion on the CLASS Act, the national long-term care insurance program being considered as part of health reform. The panelists, who included Senate Health Committee aide Connie Garner and a number of advocates for long-term care reform, were upbeat about the possibility that CLASS will be included in a final health [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2009-10-21T09:41:45-04:00October 21st, 2009|Health reform, long term care reform, long-term care financing|0 Comments

Moses, Me, and the CLASS Act

The other day, long-term care insurance gadfly Stephen Moses called me "an advocate of more government financing and an enemy of private LTC financing alternatives." I assume he said this because I believe that reforms such as the CLASS Act, which would create a national long-term care insurance system, would be a far better way to pay for this assistance [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2009-09-27T11:28:49-04:00September 27th, 2009|long term care reform, long-term care financing|0 Comments

Baucus Adds Medicaid Home Care to Reform Bill

In a bit of surprising news, Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont) added some key long-term care amendments to his health reform bill. The provisions, first proposed by senators John Kerry (D-Mass), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) would all make home and community based care more accessible under Medicaid. Currently, Medicaid is only required to provide long-term [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2009-09-22T19:43:01-04:00September 22nd, 2009|Health reform, long term care reform, Medicaid|0 Comments

Senator Baucus Mostly Ignores Long-Term Care

I am disappointed, but not surprised, that Congress' latest health reform effort does almost nothing to repair our tattered long-term care system. The massive health reform bill proposed today by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont) touches nearly every part of the health system: Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, hospitals, doctors, you name it. Except for one critical element. The proposal all [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2009-09-16T15:05:34-04:00September 16th, 2009|long term care reform|0 Comments

Is This the Year for Long-Term Care Reform?

I moderated two interesting panels today at a long-term care conference sponsored by Genworth, the big insurance company. The first panel included author and family caregiving expert Virginia Morris, National Family Caregivers Association president Suzanne Mintz, and Ancil Alexander, a home health aide who visits clients in the South Bronx. Virginia talked about the desperate need caregivers have for information, Suzanne discussed the [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2009-09-14T14:32:17-04:00September 14th, 2009|long term care reform|0 Comments

A Community Tackles Long-Term Care II

I got back last night from two days in St. Paul, Minn, where I worked with a few dozen deeply commited people who are looking for concrete solutions to the challenges of long-term care. The program was sponsored by the Citizen's League, and it brought together nursing home executives, retired physicans, lobbyists, state officials, advocates for the elderly and the disabled, care [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2009-08-19T19:34:32-04:00August 19th, 2009|long term care reform|0 Comments

A Community Tackles Long-Term Care

I'm off to St. Paul to particpate in a two-day workshop on long-term care sponsored by the Minnnesota Citizens League, a non-profit dedicated to finding common ground on important policy issues among business, government, community organizations, and individuals. The progam, entitled Creating Incentives for Personal Responsibility in Long-Term Care, has exactly the right goal: Finding community solutions to the challenges of caring for [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2009-08-16T10:49:11-04:00August 16th, 2009|long term care reform|0 Comments

Poll Shows Support for Long-Term Services in Health Reform

A new poll suggests the public would like to see long-term care reform included in any congressional remake of the health system. While many respondents were concerned about their ability to pay for care, their biggest interest was in better coverage for home and community supports that could keep them out of nursing homes. The survey, done by Lake Research Partners for [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2009-07-21T09:20:06-04:00July 21st, 2009|long term care reform|0 Comments