long-term care Archives - Page 11 of 26

A Bipartisan Group Proposes A Package of Modest, But Important Long-Term Care Financing Reforms

The Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington (DC) based group that develops consensus policy solutions, has proposed a series of reforms aimed at helping families finance long-term care for themselves and their loved ones. The proposal aims to encourage more people to buy private long-term care insurance, including through Medicare, and would provide a new Medicare respite benefit for family caregivers. [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2017-07-12T16:38:29-04:00July 12th, 2017|long-term care financing|0 Comments

Proposed Federal Medicaid Caps Will Hurt Seniors. Here’s Why.

The Senate’s version of the House-passed American Health Care Act will almost certainly include a fundamental change in the way the federal government contributes to Medicaid. Over time, that new structure would result in deep cuts in the federal contribution to Medicaid and ultimately reduce long-term care benefits for frail older adults as well as younger people with disabilities. These [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2017-06-21T10:19:21-04:00June 21st, 2017|Health reform|0 Comments

If You Need Long-Term Care, It Matters Where You Live

If you or a loved one needs long-term care, where you live matters…a lot. A new report by AARP shows wide variation in the quality of supports and services among states—whether delivered at home or in a nursing facility. While it found important improvements across states, it also identified significant shortcomings, even in the highest-rated states. The best states to [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2017-06-16T12:51:08-04:00June 16th, 2017|long-term care|0 Comments

How Long-Term Care Helped Wreck British PM Theresa May’s Election Campaign

You probably know by now that last week’s snap election was a disaster for UK Prime Minister Theresa May and her Conservative Party. But you may not know that one issue that cost the Tories their strong parliamentary majority was a proposal that came to be known as the “dementia tax.” It is a story that has some important lessons [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2017-06-12T17:01:46-04:00June 12th, 2017|long term care reform|0 Comments

Americans Remain Baffled By Long-Term Care Financing, But Would Like A Medicare Benefit.

Americans age 40 and older continued to be flummoxed by the challenges of long-term care financing, but increasingly believe that Medicare ought to provide such supports and services. According to a new poll by the Associated Press-University of Chicago NORC Center for Public Affairs Research (AP-NORC), support for a Medicare long-term care benefit has grown significantly over the past five [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2017-05-30T19:37:33-04:00May 30th, 2017|long-term care financing, Medicare|0 Comments

Trump’s Budget For Seniors: Bad, But It Could Have Been Worse

The best that can be said about President Trump’s 2018 budget and older adults: It could have been worse. In a fiscal plan focused on historic domestic spending cuts, programs for older adults were hit by substantial reductions, though not slashed as deeply as other domestic programs. Medicare was largely untouched. So was Social Security for seniors, although Trump would [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2017-05-23T19:42:10-04:00May 23rd, 2017|Federal senior services programs, Medicaid|1 Comment

Fix The Affordable Care Act By Letting People 55-64 Buy Into Medicare

Congressional Republicans seem once again stymied in their efforts to “repeal and replace Obamacare.” So here is a partial solution that can be a winner for both political parties, the insurance industry, and consumers: Allow people 55-64 to buy into Medicare. And enhance the deal by letting Medicare Advantage plans offer some long-term supports and services, such as personal care, [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2017-04-28T14:55:11-04:00April 28th, 2017|long term care reform, Medicare|0 Comments

The House GOP’s Medicaid Plan Will Mean More Flexibility, Less Money For States, Worse Care

House Republicans are right that Medicaid needs to be more flexible. But more flexibility with far fewer dollars won’t improve care for seniors, younger people with disabilities, or other beneficiaries of the program. It is possible to cut red tape without slashing spending. Congress should give it a try. Medicaid is a critical safety net for people who need personal [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2017-03-22T07:13:44-04:00March 22nd, 2017|Medicaid|3 Comments

Medicare’s Cruel Paradox: It Is A Costly Subsidy For Seniors, But They Can’t Live Without It

Which statement is true? 1) Medicare will impose huge burdens on future taxpayers by providing trillions of dollars in government-funded health care to older adults. 2) Many seniors face massive, unaffordable out-of-pocket health costs in old age, even with that government assistance. The answer is: Both. And that’s the challenge policymakers must confront as they debate what to do about [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2017-02-22T11:44:12-05:00February 22nd, 2017|Blog|0 Comments

What Medicaid Block Grants Would Mean For Seniors

The Trump Administration and congressional Republicans seem to be moving full speed towards capping federal payments for Medicaid--a design sometime called block grants. But they may be missing a key piece of the story: Two-thirds of the program’s dollars go to the frail elderly and younger people with disabilities. The stereotype of a Medicaid beneficiary is a poor mom and [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2017-01-25T14:56:12-05:00January 25th, 2017|Medicaid|0 Comments