home and community based care

Biden Moves To Increase Pay For Medicaid Home Care Aides. Will It Work?

The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has moved to increase pay for home care aides and others who provide personal care for frail older adults and younger people with disabilities. It has proposed new rules requiring Medicaid home care agencies to direct at least 80 percent of program payments for personal care services to compensation for care [...]

By |2023-05-05T11:04:31-04:00May 5th, 2023|Medicaid|0 Comments

What The End Of The Covid-19 Public Health Emergency Will Mean for Older Adults

President Biden’s announcement that the Covid-19 public health emergency (PHE) will end on May 11 will have a significant impact on older adults. Some changes will be immediate, others won’t occur for nearly two years. Some may improve care for older adults, others could cost seniors more money and end some important benefits they received during the pandemic. Biden’s decision [...]

By |2023-02-01T13:20:13-05:00February 1st, 2023|Health Care|0 Comments

What Will The Mid-Term Elections Mean For Seniors And Their Families?

What will last Tuesday’s election mean for older adults and their families? A slim Democratic majority in the Senate combined with what is likely to be narrow Republican control of the House likely means no new legislative initiatives will pass Congress in 2023. The Biden Administration’s ambitious plan to support frail older adults and their families is dead, at least [...]

By |2022-11-16T10:42:53-05:00November 16th, 2022|Federal senior services programs|0 Comments

A Valuable New Framework For Improving The Care Of Frail Older Adults

Imagine, for a moment, a functioning, well-developed system for improving the lives of frail older adults. Imagine that, instead of our current chaotic, dangerous, and needlessly expensive patchwork of care for seniors, the US had a well-coordinated care model that leverages and supports paid aides, family caregivers, safe and appropriate housing, and new technology. And imagine a system that makes [...]

By |2022-09-07T11:06:12-04:00September 7th, 2022|long term care reform, Uncategorized|0 Comments

Congress’ Epic Fail In Caring For Frail Older Adults

One would have thought that after more than 750,000 Covid-19 related deaths among older adults in the US and more than 200,000 deaths among residents and staffs of long-term care facilities that Congress would act to improve the nation’s long-term care system. One would have been wrong. Except for including about $12 billion in federal funds to temporarily expand Medicaid’s [...]

By |2022-07-18T15:46:45-04:00July 18th, 2022|long term care reform|0 Comments

Are Critics of Private Equity Nursing Home Ownership Living In The Past?

It has become popular among many Democrats to call for investigations of nursing home ownership by private equity firms. But industry experts tell me that, increasingly, big investors in senior services are abandoning nursing facilities in favor of the far more lucrative home health business and, in some cases, private-pay senior housing. And the shift isn’t just happening with private [...]

By |2022-04-27T15:01:16-04:00April 27th, 2022|nursing homes, Uncategorized|1 Comment

Medicare Advantage Plans Get A Big Pay Hike, Offer More Services And Supports For Older Adults

Medicare Advantage managed care plans, which in 2021 covered 26 million enrollees, will get an average 8.5 percent increase in total Medicare payments next year. At the same time, MA plans are rapidly embracing a wide range of social services and supports for older adults living at home. Sometimes called long-term care lite, these benefits range from meal and food [...]

By |2022-04-05T16:26:55-04:00April 5th, 2022|Medicare|0 Comments

Is Supporting Family Caregivers Good For the Economy?

The congressional proposal to increase federal funding for Medicaid’s home and community-based (HCBS) long-term care program likely would benefit the US economy, although it could increase costs for those not receiving Medicaid. The HCBS expansion is included in the current House version of  President Biden’s Build Back Better (BBB) social spending, climate, and tax plan. Sen Joe Manchin (D-WV) and [...]

By |2021-12-14T15:17:20-05:00December 14th, 2021|family caregivers|0 Comments

The House Build Back Better Bill Makes Historic Changes for Older Adults, But Care Gaps Remain

The Build Back Better social spending bill the House passed this morning includes a long list of important changes aimed at improving the quality of life of older adults. There is much left to be done, and even this bill may be pared back in the Senate. But following the pandemic catastrophe for older adults, it would be significant progress. [...]

By |2021-11-19T15:16:56-05:00November 19th, 2021|long term care reform|0 Comments

What Biden’s Latest Build Back Better Plan Means For Older Adults

President Biden’s scaled-down $1.7 trillion Build Back Better social spending and tax plan retains major benefit increases for Medicaid long-term care recipients as well as Medicare enrollees. But it trims more ambitious initiatives and drops an earlier proposal for family and medical leave. Here are key elements of the plan, which likely will change as it works its way through [...]

By |2021-10-29T10:56:26-04:00October 29th, 2021|long term care reform|0 Comments