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 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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
