Aging
Studies Highlight High Medicare Costs For People In Nursing Homes
Medicare beneficiaries who reside in long-term care facilities account for an excessive and preventable portion of Medicare spending because of high rates of hospitalization, emergency room visits and skilled nursing care, according to reports released Tuesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). The findings suggest policymakers looking to trim Medicare expenditures in accordance with the […]
Hispanics Living Longer Than Whites, Blacks. But Why?
For the first time, the statisticians over at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figured out how to estimate the life expectancy of Hispanics in this country. And, it turns out, Hispanics born recently can expect to live longer than either whites or blacks. How much longer? Well, a Hispanic person born in 2006 […]
Text: Fiscal Commission’s Recommendations On Health Care Spending
The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform released its long-awaited report on recommendations to cope with the national debt, now and into the future, “The Moment of Truth.” Seven of the 66 pages concerned health care spending, especially focusing on Medicare. Below are excerpts of the introductory remarks and the full text of the health […]
Few Seniors Have Long-Term Care Insurance
People don’t like to think about what will happen if they become too ill or infirm to manage on their own. Experts say that partly explains why sales of long-term-care insurance policies are so anemic; only about 10 percent of seniors have such coverage. Given the complexity of these policies, experts agree it’s tough to […]
Innovative Day-Care Program Seeks To Keep Frail, Low-Income Seniors In Their Homes
This story was produced in collaboration with Geraldine Miller, 75, is a regular patient of Dr. Jeremy Goldman, O.D., at ElderPlus. Johns Hopkins’ ElderPlus is a voluntary health program designed to provide and coordinate all needed preventive, primary, acute and long-term care services so that older individuals can continue living in the community. (Photo by […]
Long-Term Care: Another Tough Subject For The Next Round Of Reform
Democrats and Republicans may spend the next two years fighting about what to jettison or retain in the Affordable Care Act. In whatever fashion these conflicts are resolved, we’ll be back — at some point soon — to address another looming challenge: long-term care. This is a big problem. Less than 4 percent of American adults, and only […]
Seniors May Not Rush In For Medicare Wellness Exams
This story also appeared on ‘s Shots health blog. In 2005, the federal government began offering coverage for a physical exam to seniors new to Medicare. At the time, the American Cancer Society called the “Welcome to Medicare” checkup a “significant opportunity for improving the health of Medicare beneficiaries” and said “seniors have much to […]
Nine Ways The New Health Law May Affect You in 2011
Health Law Anniversary On Health Law’s Anniversary: Predictions For Next Year Health On The Hill: Analyzing The Health Law’s Rocky First Year Opponents of the new health care overhaul law are threatening to repeal, defund and kill it in court, but that isn’t stopping Washington from implementing a number of important provisions in 2011. While […]
States Pushing Managed Long-Term Care For Elderly And Disabled Medicaid Patients
This story was produced in collaboration with MADISON, Tenn. Two years after Holly Hawthorne was severely brain damaged when her motorcycle was hit by a bus in India, she passed a huge milestone in January: She moved out of a nursing home here and into the house where she grew up. Holly Hawthorne […]
HHS Says 48,000 Have Used Medicare Drug Discounts This Year
The health care law’s discount on brand-name drugs for some Medicare beneficiaries has been used by 48,000 people who saved a combined $38 million $800 on average — through the first two months of this year, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. New HHS figures released today also show that the […]