Aging
L.A. County Officials Allegedly Reduced Penalties In 3 Nursing Home Deaths
The bleeding started suddenly and lasted 15 minutes, soaking through the sheets and pooling on the floor. Turning pale, Armando Reagan cried out to the nursing home staff. “Help! Help! I do not want to die!” By the time paramedics got Reagan to a Glendale emergency room, he was incoherent, with his heart beating rapidly […]
Disabled Vt. Senior Who Led Class Action Suit Sues Medicare — Again
Update: Disabled Vt. Senior Wins Medicare Coverage After 2nd Lawsuit A 78-year-old Vermont mother of four who helped change Medicare coverage for millions of other seniors is still fighting to persuade the government to pay for her own care. Glenda Jimmo, who is legally blind and has a partially amputated leg due to complications from […]
The Lowdown On Open Enrollment For Medicare Advantage And Part D
Kaiser Health News’ Julie Rovner hosted a webinar Tuesday to provide background for reporters covering Medicare Advantage and Part D issues through open enrollment and into next year. Kaiser Family Foundation’s Senior Vice President Tricia Neuman, who directs the KFF Program on Medicare Policy, and Kimberly Lankford, Contributing Editor of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, spoke about the […]
Medicare Changes Could Limit Patient Access To ALS Communication Tools
Starting Dec. 1, people with ALS – a disease that impairs motor function so people often can’t talk or even move – could lose access to technological advances that allow them to better communicate, thanks to a federal review of what Medicare is allowed to cover. ALS, which stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, hit the […]
L.A. County Officials Demand Details On Reduced Nursing Home Penalties
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors ordered the public health department this week to provide an update on the nursing home inspection process, responding to a Kaiser Health News report that draft penalties in three patient deaths had been reduced without explanation. The supervisors unanimously approved the motion to have the acting public health […]
Disabled Vt. Senior Wins Medicare Coverage After 2nd Lawsuit
A disabled senior with serious health problems who successfully challenged Medicare for denying her home health care coverage has racked up another win against the government. In her latest federal lawsuit filed in June, Glenda Jimmo, 78, argued Medicare should have paid for the nursing care and other skilled services she received at her home […]
California Audit Finds Backlog Of 11,000 Nursing Home Investigations
California’s public health department has failed to adequately manage investigations of nursing homes statewide, resulting in a backlog of more than 11,000 complaints – many involving serious safety risks to patients, according to an audit released Thursday. California State Auditor Elaine M. Howle found that the complaints had been open for a year on average […]
More Scrutiny Coming For Medicare Advantage, Obamacare
Federal officials are planning a wide range of audits into billing and government spending on managed health care in the new fiscal year, ranging from private Medicare Advantage groups that treat millions of elderly to health plans rapidly expanding under the Affordable Care Act. The Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, which investigates […]
Toward ‘A Beautiful Death’
The American health care system is poorly equipped to care sensitively for patients at the end of life, a recent report from the Institute of Medicine found. But it is possible, through careful planning, for individuals to choose the kind of death they want. Consumer Reports has released a guide to end-of-life planning for families. […]
ALS Patients Win Fight Over Medicare Reimbursement For Speech Devices
After strong pushback from ALS patients and lawmakers, the government has reversed a decision that could have blocked Medicare reimbursement for certain speech generation devices beginning Dec. 1. The decision announced Thursday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services means Medicare will continue a longstanding policy to cover most of the cost of devices […]