long-term supports and services

Will Senate Moderates Sink Biden’s Medicaid Home-Based Long-Term Care Plan?

President Biden’s proposed massive expansion of Medicaid home-based long-term care is running into trouble in the Senate. And it may be done in, not by hard-core conservatives, but by a small group of self-styled Senate moderates. In his American Jobs Plan, Biden proposed increasing the federal share of Medicaid’s home and community-based services (HCBS) program by $400 billion—the largest increase [...]

By |2021-05-27T15:38:27-04:00May 27th, 2021|Medicaid|3 Comments

Short-Term Bailouts Won’t Fix Nursing Homes or Medicaid Home-Based Long-Term Care

The illness and death that covid-19 has brought to older adults has created an historic opportunity for the US to rethink the way it delivers and pays for long-term care. Yet, much of the long-term care industry and even many advocates for older adults and younger people with disabilities are lobbying for short-term fixes, not real reform. Nursing homes and [...]

By |2020-08-20T10:19:02-04:00August 20th, 2020|long term care reform|10 Comments

Medicare Advantage Plans Are Expanding Personal Supports and Services For 2020

In 2020, Medicare beneficiaries will have more opportunities to join Medicare Advantage (MA) managed care plans that offer limited personal supports and services such as home care, non-medical transportation, nutrition programs, and home modifications. The benefits, first allowed by the federal government for 2019, are not full-blown long-term care, but they do provide critical services and supports that may make [...]

By |2019-10-07T16:49:44-04:00October 7th, 2019|Medicare|17 Comments

Medicare Spends Far More On Older Adults Who Need Personal Assistance

Want to know if an older adult is likely to use lots of medical care? Just ask if she needs help with living activities such as bathing, dressing, or getting out of bed. In a new study with important implications for both caregivers and policymakers, researchers at the Long-Term Quality Alliance (LTQA) found that Medicare spends an average of three [...]

By |2018-02-14T12:43:53-05:00October 30th, 2017|Medicare|2 Comments

When $500,000 in Social Security and Medicare Benefits Isn’t Enough

A typical American turning 65 this year is in line to receive about $500,000 in lifetime Social Security and Medicare benefits. That's more than $1 million for older couples. But many still won’t have enough money to pay for out-of-pocket medical care and long-term supports and services. While the wealthiest seniors will have the resources to pay these hefty out-of-pocket costs, most older adults won’t [...]

By |2015-09-22T10:06:39-04:00September 22nd, 2015|long-term care financing|0 Comments

Home Care Workers Are Going To Be Paid More, But Where Will the Money Come From?

Many home health aides and other direct care workers are going to get raises. An important court decision on Friday, an aggressive lobbying campaign by unions, more generous state minimum wage laws, and—perhaps most important of all—growing demand for paid home care by consumers—will inevitably drive up wages for these aides. The question is: How will older adults, younger people [...]

By |2015-08-24T13:43:47-04:00August 24th, 2015|long-term care workers|1 Comment

Big Strides in Cancer Treatment Will Increase Long-Term Care Needs

Cancer researchers are closer than ever to achieving their long-held dream of turning the disease from a death sentence to a chronic illness. This would be a remarkable scientific achievement. But while people may soon routinely live decades with their cancer in remission or even cured, they will not become immortal. Most will eventually suffer from some other debilitating condition and [...]

A PBS NewsHour Panel On How To Care For Aging Americans

On Monday, I participated in a PBS NewsHour panel on how to improve services and supports for an aging America. PBS brought together a diverse group of long-term care experts to discuss some interesting international models for delivering supports and services to the frail elderly in a way that allows them to preserve their dignity and independence. The models ranged from [...]

By |2013-11-07T00:51:20-05:00November 7th, 2013|Aging, long term care reform|0 Comments

What Can We Learn from Successful Long-Term Care Delivery Models?

On Monday, Nov. 4, I’ll be on a panel with a group of some highly respected long-term care policy experts to discuss some international creative models for delivering supports and services. The program, which will be held in Washington, is sponsored by the PBS Newshour and funded by the SCAN Foundation. We’ll be discussing a broad range of ideas—from the [...]

By |2013-10-30T18:27:53-04:00October 30th, 2013|Aging, long term care reform|0 Comments