The federal government and the states currently share responsibility for Medicaid long term care. Tommy Thompson, former U.S. Health and Human Services secretary, says that should change in light of the approaching retirement of the baby boomers. Medicaid is already burdening the states, and it will get worse in the next few years. Thompson believes the federal government should be responsible for long term care of the elderly, while the states focus on "acute care for those under 65." … [Read more...] about Former HHS Chief Says Feds Should Be Responsible for Medicaid Long Term Care
Search Results for: baby boom
High Employee Turnover Rates Affect LTC
According to an article in The Enid News and Eagle, the national turnover rate for elderly health care jobs is as high as 150 percent. There are several reasons for the country's shortage of elderly health care workers - especially nurses - and aging is high on the list. With an aging baby boom generation beginning to retire, including nurses in the cohort, shortages will likely become more pronounced. According to the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, the average age of the … [Read more...] about High Employee Turnover Rates Affect LTC
Long Term Care Hospital Units?
Will long term care units in hospitals become a trend? Iowa is considering adding long term care wings to its hospitals that could bring in more federal funding. Such a plan is currently illegal, but the director of the Iowa Department of Inspection and Appeals said the agency will rewrite the rules to allow the units. The decision to pursue the project was apparently prompted by a different agency's rejection of a plan to build four long term care hospitals in the state. Do hospitals … [Read more...] about Long Term Care Hospital Units?
Survey: Long Term Care Costs Rising
This isn't really news, but I thought I'd report it anyway. A company called Genworth Financial has released the findings of its "Cost of Care" report. According to the survey of over 9,000 providers, the costs for long term care are rising (as expected). From Medical News Today: The average annual cost for a private one-bedroom unit in an assisted living facility rose 7 percent from the 2005 survey, to $32,294, while the combined average hourly rate for a home health aide for in-home … [Read more...] about Survey: Long Term Care Costs Rising
Branding Long Term Care
We aren't raised to ever think about aging. Aging is something we all face but avoid talking about. A Milwaukee-based advertising firm has developed a marketing campaign for aging called "LTC: Let's Take Care," designed to "look at an old issue, raise community awareness and more easily identify the area's long-term care providers so that people know what's available and plan for that time in life a little bit better." (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) The article calls the "branding" of long … [Read more...] about Branding Long Term Care
Medicare News: No Coverage for Artificial Spinal Disks
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services seeks to deny coverage for an artificial spinal disk called Charite. Lack of evidence that the surgery required to implant the disk is "reasonable and necessary" is the reason, says CMS. From Kaiser Network's report: The proposal to deny Medicare coverage for Charite could prompt private health insurers to take similar actions. According to the Journal, such actions would represent a "rare setback" for J&J, which has "excelled at persuading … [Read more...] about Medicare News: No Coverage for Artificial Spinal Disks
State of the Union – Medicare/Medicaid
The State of the Union address is an overview of the current condition of the nation, not an in-depth analysis of economic, social, or cultural issues. However, I believe Medicare's controversial new prescription drug program is important enough to warrant a brief comment or two. Unfortunately, the president didn't mention it at all. The new drug program has received widespread criticism from beneficiaries, doctors, and providers who say the program is confusing and complicated. (See the … [Read more...] about State of the Union – Medicare/Medicaid
Long Term Care At Home
As baby boomers age, costs for long term care will continue to grow, and states like Vermont are doing something about it. Vermont has instituted a program called Choice for Care, which allows all eligible recipients to choose long term care at home instead of a nursing home. Many elderly people probably prefer to remain at home and independent, and the program will allow them more flexibility to do so. The program sends 12 nurses across the state to assess the needs of Vermont's Medicaid … [Read more...] about Long Term Care At Home
