A win for home care: Providers applaud withdrawal of MFAR proposal
Providers cheered federal health officials’ decision to withdraw a proposal they warned could cut up to $50 billion nationwide from the Medicaid program annually.
Topics – LTSS / HCBS / PACE
LTSS / HCBS / PACE
Ballot measure would let voters take stock of LTSS funds
A proposed constitutional amendment on the Nov. 3 ballot in the state of Washington seeks to gain voter approval for public money held in a fund for long-term care services and supports to be invested by the state government, including in private stocks.
Financial relief and liability protection not enough for LTC industry: Gleckman
Financial relief from the government and liability protections from coronavirus-related lawsuits won’t be enough to fix long-standing flaws in the long-term services and supports system, a leading expert cautioned.
COVID-19 may force positive changes, improved outcomes in senior living
Over the past decade, design trends have been pushing a more progressive, upbeat vision of senior living, one that encourages more independence and social connectivity. Yet the deadly impact of the coronavirus may be forcefully pushing the sector’s design back in the opposite direction, reports an article in Bloomberg Thursday.
U.S. Treasury task force: Federal government must educate public about LTC costs
The Treasury and other federal agencies should do a better job educating consumers about long-term care and the need to finance it. That’s according to a report released last week by the Federal Interagency Task Force on Long-Term Care Insurance. The analysis, which summarizes two years worth of LTC insurance system review, noted that the Financial Literacy Education Commission should include long-term care planning among its retirement education topics.
States look at social insurance to address underfunded LTSS system: report
Social insurance initiatives to help finance long-term services and supports are gaining traction at the state level because “the costs of waiting around for something to happen at the federal level is exceeding the cost of trying to do something,” according to the author of a new report on the topic.
Senior living associations appreciate prioritization of long-term care in Medicaid expansion proposal
Senior living associations say they appreciate that former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, is prioritizing long-term care in his proposal to create a “21st-century caregiving and education workforce.”
CMS extends deadlines for HCBS settings rule due to COVID-19 concerns
Citing concerns related to the coronavirus, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Tuesday said it would give states an additional year to comply with a settings rule related to the provision of home- and community-based services to older or disabled Medicaid beneficiaries.
Younger adults most interested in solutions to pay for chronic care as they age: survey
Young adults’ interest in buying long-term care insurance could bode well for senior living, providing the financial flexibility to afford moving to a senior living community later in life, according to the recently released results of a survey.
Forbes: Long-term care needs more funding and a new structure
The COVID-19 pandemic has “amplified and exposed an already deeply flawed system” for long-term care in the United States, according to an analysis Wednesday in Forbes.
$3 trillion HEROES Act passes in House with provisions for senior living, but Senate prospects dim
Although it remains to be seen whether the HEROES Act reaches the president’s desk, five provisions of the original or House-passed bill have a chance of becoming law, according to one source. Read other coronavirus-related news, too.
Government PPE plans could have ‘grave consequences’ for senior living residents, staff, groups say
Federal and state advocates for senior living and home- and community-based services providers say it is a mistake for governments not to prioritize these providers’ needs for personal protective equipment and funding.
New law should increase older adults’ funds for LTSS, advocates say
A bill that raises the minimum age at which people are required to withdraw funds from their retirement accounts was signed into law in late December as part of a spending package that also increased funding for Alzheimer’s research.
HCBS, caregivers focus of presidential hopeful Cory Booker’s long-term care plan
Changing eligibility for long-term services and supports, expanding access to home- and community-based services, increasing compensation for paid caregivers and finding a way to compensate family caregivers — all are elements of a plan for long-term care unveiled by Sen. Cory Booker, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president in the 2020 election.
Bill would let people tap retirement accounts for long-term care insurance
Individuals would be allowed to withdraw up to $2,000 per year from their retirement accounts, tax-free, to pay for long-term care insurance to fund long-term services and supports under a bill proposed by Sen. Patrick Toomey (R-PA).
Assisted living threatened by looming federal expirations
A federal rule provision and a federal program, both of which help enable older adults to live in assisted living or at home rather than in nursing homes, are set to expire Dec. 31 unless Congress acts.
‘Replace denial with proposal’ on long-term care, House committee told
Congress must “replace denial with a detailed, bipartisan legislative proposal on long-term care” to address the needs of a growing older population facing high costs for healthcare and housing, Robert Blancato, national coordinator of the Elder Justice Coalition, told the House Ways and Means Committee at a hearing Thursday.
A divided Congress isn’t all bad news, NCAL executive director says
There’s some good news associated with the divided Congress that hasn’t accomplished much this year, National Center for Assisted Living Executive Director Scott Tittle said Sunday during NCAL Day.
Bipartisan effort probes federal oversight of Medicaid managed LTSS programs
Sept. 13 is the deadline Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Bob Casey (D-PA) on Friday gave to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Administrator Seema Verma and the directors of the eight external quality review organizations that audit Medicaid managed care organizations to answer questions about access and quality of states’ long-term services and supports programs.
Executive order favors HCBS over nursing homes
A new executive order from Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf calls for state agencies to find ways to transition older adults from nursing homes to home- and community-based settings. Such settings can include assisted living communities and personal care homes.
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