Last week, the New York Times ran an extremely troubling story about Long Term Care Insurance. Apparently, some Long Term Care Insurance companies are using bureacratic tactics to delay payment of claims until the insured dies, or is outright denying them.
In depositions conducted on behalf of angry policyholders, Conseco employees described bureaucratic obstacles that [...]

Texas Register Update: Legacy Agency References Updates

The Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) adopted an amendment that would allow it to update legacy agency references and outdated citations related to legacy agencies rule references. According to the Texas Register, HHSC didn’t receive comments on the proposed rule during the comment period.
For more information, see the relevant section of the March 23 [...]

CMS Webcast On Improving Nursing Home Quality and Payment

On Friday, March 23, 2007, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) broadcast a two-hour presentation on improving nursing home quality and payments via satellite and the Internet. The presentation was shown on the CMS digital network channel 712.
Providers interested in seeing the presentation can watch it via webcast for up to 12 months [...]

Provider Letters: Medicare Certification Surveys, Personal Needs Allowance, Etc.

The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) has released four new letters addressed to the following providers:
Home Health Agencies (HHAs): DADS notified HHAs seeking Medicare certification that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has asked DADS to stop scheduling Medicare certification surveys of HHAs. For more information, download the seven-page letter here.
Medicaid-certified [...]

Lawmaker Proposes Changes to Asset Test for Medicare Part D

In an effort to extend federal subsidies for Medicare Part D to more low-income beneficiaries, Congressman Lloyd Doggett of Texas seeks to revise the asset test for receiving such subsidies. (Kaiser)
Doggett introduced a measure that would extend subsidies to about 3.27 million people currently qualified for but who don’t receive subsidies. One way the bill [...]

Long Term Care Financing

The Kaiser Foundation has updated its issue module on financing long term care. According to Kaiser, about 9.5 million Americans need long term care, and with the first of the baby boomers ready to retire, the number will increase. By 2030, the number of long term care recipients will double.
Kaiser estimates that over $158 billion [...]

DADS Training Conference and Sessions

The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) will present a nursing facility joint training conference titled “Understanding Nursing Facility Enforcement Processes.” The conference will be held at the J.J. Pickle Center in Austin, Texas, on April 3 from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and at the Arlington Convention Center in Arlington, Texas, on [...]

Texas Register Updates for March 9 and 16

March 9
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) announced on behalf of the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) that it has adopted the repeal of §§7.301 – 7.311 and §§7.313 – 7.316 in Chapter 7. The repeal is intended to facilitate the consolidation of rules dealing with volunteer programs and [...]

DADS Letters and Memorandum: Drug Destruction Records, Etc.

In a letter dated March, 6, the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) reminded nursing facilities of the state requirement that medications of deceased residents, expired medications, and discontinued medications must be disposed as instructed by government laws and rules. For more information, download the letter here.
DADS also issued a federal survey and [...]

Two Medicare Prescription Drug Studies

The Kaiser Network reports the release of two Medicare prescription drug studies. One study found that over 25 percent of Medicare drug plans increased copayments and prices for beneficiaries in 2006, despite the fact that beneficiaries were locked into the plans for the year.
According to the Consumers Union, which issued the study, some private insurance [...]

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