medicare & aging 021220

Finding Connections And Comfort At The Local Cafe
By Heidi de Marco For Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers, social and emotional isolation is a threat. But hundreds of “Memory Cafes” around the country offer them a chance to be with others who understand, and to receive social and cognitive stimulation in the process.

An Attack Ad That Claims Michigan Sen. Gary Peters Supports ‘Medicare For All’ Doesn’t Hold Up
By Victoria Knight This one is a big stretch.

Why Home Health Care Is Suddenly Harder To Come By For Medicare Patients
By Judith Graham Medicare has changed how it pays for services. In response, agencies across the country are firing therapists, limiting physical, occupational and speech therapy, and terminating services for some longtime, severely ill patients.

Trump On ‘Medicare for All’ And The Costs Of Extending Health Care To Undocumented Immigrants 
By Shefali Luthra In his Feb. 4 State of the Union address, President Donald Trump said the cost of extending health care to people regardless of their citizenship status would "bankrupt" the U.S.

What To Do If Your Home Health Care Agency Ditches You
By Judith Graham If you’re told Medicare’s home health benefits have changed, don’t believe it: Coverage rules haven’t been altered and people are still entitled to the same types of services. All that has changed is how Medicare pays agencies.

Look Up Your Hospital: Is It Being Penalized by Medicare?
By Jordan Rau Each year, Medicare punishes hospitals that have high rates of readmissions and high rates of infections and patient injuries. Check out which hospitals have been penalized.

Preeminent Hospitals Penalized Over Rates Of Patients’ Injuries
By Jordan Rau Medicare cut payments for 786 hospitals because of high infection and complication rates. They included a third of the hospitals proclaimed as the nation’s best in one prominent ranking.

A Guide To Following The Health Debate In The 2020 Elections
By Julie Rovner As the Democratic primary campaign nears pivotal voting, important aspects of health care policy are being overlooked.

Elecciones 2020: guía para seguir el debate de salud
By Julie Rovner Precios, tipo de cobertura, formas de acceder a la atención, son algunos de los temas que ya están dominando el debate en este año electoral.

Patients Want A ‘Good Death’ At Home, But Hospice Care Can Badly Strain Families
By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio Fewer Americans are dying in a hospital, under the close supervision of doctors and nurses. That trend has been boosted by an expanded Medicare benefit that helps people live out their final days at home in hospice care. But as home hospice grows, so has the burden on families left to provide much of the care.

Diagnosed With Dementia, She Documented Her Wishes. They Said No.
By JoNel Aleccia Photos by Heidi de Marco Across the U.S., people with early dementia are signing new advance directives to confirm their end-of-life wishes while they still have the ability to do so. But doctors say the documents may offer a false sense of security.

What The 2020s Have In Store For Aging Boomers
By Judith Graham On the bright side, advances in medical science and a push for healthier lifestyles might extend the quality of life for aging boomers. Among clouds on the horizon: ageism, strained long-term care services and the need to work well past retirement age.