Leading Age: U.S. Senate Holds Hearing on Dual Eligibles; PACE Program Testifies
by J. Martin, LeadingAge Washington “The issue of “passive enrollment,” or enrolling Medicare beneficiaries in a program without their consent, is a fundamental question of beneficiary choice, which we cannot simply sweep under the rug,” Sen. Herb Kohl said in his opening remarks. Dory Funk, M.D., the medical director at Senior Community Care, in Eckert, CO, … Read more
California Healthline: DHCS Director Douglas Rejects Another Judicial Decision
by David Gorn Toby Douglas, director of the Department of Health Care Services, has rejected another proposed decision by an administrative law judge over an appeal of eligibility for the Community Based Adult Services program. According to stakeholders, it is the first rejection based on eligibility criteria. Douglas earlier had rejected — or “alternated” as … Read more
The Commonwealth Fund: State Action to Establish Health Insurance Exchanges
July 2012 — Use this interactive map to review the status of state action on state health insurance exchanges. Sixteen states and Washington, D.C. have passed legislation or issued an executive order establishing a health insurance exchange. Click on these green states to view key aspects of existing exchanges, state legislation, and executive orders. Click … Read more
Congressman Xavier Becerra – HOUSE REPUBLICANS SLASH $800 MILLION FROM SOCIAL SECURITY, TO COST TAXPAYERS $6 BILLION
Social Security Actuary outlines $6 billion potential cost from cutting SSA’s program integrity operations WASHINGTON – Today, Social Security’s Chief Actuary estimated that the proposal by House Republicans to cut nearly $800 million from the Social Security Administration’s operating budget could end up costing taxpayers $6 billion in waste, fraud and abuse that the Social Security Administration … Read more
Huffpost: Older and More Diverse: America’s Multicultural Future is Approaching Fast, But Are We Ready?
Elders are revered for their experience and wisdom in many cultures around the globe, but here in America where our civic, media and business cultures worship at the fountain of youth, elders are seen in quite a different light. Age is frequently seen as a disadvantage. Despite a wealth of experience, many men and women … Read more
California Healthline: States That Expanded Medicaid Saw Drop in Adult Mortality Rates
States that expanded their Medicaid programs were able to reduce their adult mortality rates by an average of slightly more than 6% in the five years after the expansion, according to a study published online Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Wall Street Journal reports. The study — by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health … Read more
The Commonwealth Fund: Medicare Works: Public Program Continues to Outperform Private Insurance in Ensuring Access to Care and Providing Financial Protection
By Karen Davis and Kristof Stremikis The Medicare program continues to do better than private coverage for working-age adults when it comes to fulfilling the main purposes of health insurance—providing access to care and adequate financial protection from burdensome medical bills, according to Commonwealth Fund research published July 18 in the health policy journal Health Affairs. The study also found that … Read more
NY Times: Our Ridiculous Approach to Retirement
I WORK on retirement policy, so friends often want to talk about their own retirement plans and prospects. While I am happy to have these conversations, my friends usually walk away feeling worse — for good reason. Seventy-five percent of Americans nearing retirement age in 2010 hadless than $30,000 in their retirement accounts. The specter of … Read more
California Healthline: How Much Will States’ Medicaid Expansions Really Cost?
by Dan Diamond, California Healthline Contributing Editor Since the Supreme Court ruled on the Affordable Care Act, hardly a day goes by without some state official, somewhere, weighing in on whether his or her state will participate in the newly optional Medicaid expansion. At the same time, there are ever-present reminders that states are facing deep fiscal … Read more
California Healthline: Counties Worried About Doctor Count Ahead of Medi-Cal Growth
County officials are concerned by a shortage of physicians in the state as California prepares for a Medi-Cal expansion under the federal health reform law, the Ventura County Star reports. Medi-Cal is California’s Medicaid program (Westphal, Ventura County Star, 7/14). Background Under the reform law, states have the option of expanding Medicaid coverage to individuals with incomes of up to 133% of the poverty level. … Read more
