California’s Department of Aging recently released a 10-year “Master Plan for Aging.” The blueprint aims to guide state and local governments, the private sector and charitable organizations toward improved housing, healthcare and caregiving for the state’s older residents. Among the recommendations are making home care more services affordable and providing incentives to attract home caregivers.
If there were a “game-changing medication” available to senior living providers to help fight off COVID-19 and potentially avoid a hospital trip for residents, would you use it?
The number of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries receiving Special Supplemental Benefits for the Chronically Ill (SSBCI) has skyrocketed — from 1 million in 2020 to 3 million in 2021— according to a new report by healthcare consulting firm Avalere. This, says Avalere, indicates that plans are gaining more insight into the impact that such benefits can have on beneficiary outcomes and costs.
During an earnings call on Wednesday, Humana executives called attention to the ongoing financial impact of the pandemic, which contributed to a loss for the fourth quarter of $458 million, or $2.07 diluted earnings per share. But CEO Bruce Broussard also cited the company’s 11% growth in Medicare Advantage membership, and gave props to the company’s healthcare services segment: home care, pharmaceuticals and providers.
As the pandemic has shined a light on the capabilities of home care and home health, associations are looking for the Biden administration to expand Medicaid and Medicare coverage in the space this year.
As states continue to work to rebalance long-term services and supports spending away from nursing home care, assisted living is gaining as an option for Medicare-Medicaid dually eligible older adults who need assistance with daily activities but want to remain in a community setting.
The coming year promises to be robust in terms of financial deals in the home health space, according to a lawyer who focuses his practice on advising long-term care firms, and their investors and lenders, on mergers and acquisitions.
Long-term services and supports, value-based care and regulatory scrutiny are among the key issues facing senior living providers one week after President Biden’s inauguration.
Medicare Advantage (MA) will continue to grow significantly and offer flexibility, but the Biden administration likely will be scrutinizing plans more carefully, according to two highly respected healthcare consultants.
The federal public health emergency related to the coronavirus pandemic likely will extend through 2021, Acting Health and Human Services Secretary Norris Cochran said Friday in a letter to governors.
