Medicare & Aging: August 17, 2017

End-Of-Life Advice: More Than 500,000 Chat On Medicare’s Dime
By JoNel Aleccia In the first year of payments for advance-care planning sessions, once decried as ”death panels,“ use is higher than expected, new data show.

Asthma, More Deadly With Age, Takes Heavy Toll On Older Adults
By Judith Graham Death rates for older adults with asthma run five times higher than younger people, and serious complications are far more common.

Under Trump, Hospitals Face Same Penalties Embraced By Obama
By Jordan Rau Federal records show that 2,573 hospitals around the country will have their Medicare payments reduced because they have too many patients readmitted.

Lag In Brain Donation Hampers Understanding Of Dementia In Blacks
By Anna Gorman A long history of racism and cruel experimentation in health care are among the reasons African-American families oppose donating patients’ brains for study.

Florida Law Will Let Patients Get All Their Drug Renewals At The Same Time
By Michelle Andrews The new law will help people with chronic conditions that require multiple prescriptions cut down on their shuttles to the drug store and could improve adherence to their drugs.

When Wounds Won’t Heal, Therapies Spread — To The Tune Of $5 Billion
By Marisa Taylor The market for wound care products booms among a growing older and diabetic patient pool, but many treatments are untested and funding for research falls short.

Counting On Medicaid To Avoid Life In A Nursing Home? That’s Now Up To Congress.
By Susan Jaffe Photos by Heidi de Marco Tighter Medicaid budgets could jeopardize states’ home-based services that help older adults and disabled people live in their homes instead of more expensive nursing homes.

How To Get Long-Term Care At Home Without Busting The Bank
By Judith Graham The majority of older adults receive long-term care at home and need help covering these services with affordable insurance policies. The long-term  insurance industry needs to focus on home care.

Jump-Starting Hard Conversations As The End Nears
By Kellen Browning An end-of life-planning website can encourage patients to tackle that difficult topic before they become too ill to communicate, according to a new study. But they may be more likely to make concrete plans with help from a doctor or social worker.

Over-The-Counter Devices Hold Their Own Against Costly Hearing Aids
By Michelle Andrews In a head-to-head comparison, several of the cheaper devices performed nearly as well as the expensive hearing aids. The study lends credence to lawmakers’ efforts to get the FDA to set standards for over-the-counter versions.

These Preventive Measures Might Help Delay Dementia Or Cognitive Decline
By Judith Graham Recent research shows that controlling blood pressure, exercising and cognitive training around middle age could help prevent cognitive decline or Alzheimer’s disease.

Depression Among Heart Attack Survivors Can Be Deadly, Yet Is Often Ignored
By Liz Szabo One in 5 heart attack patients suffers from severe depression, yet many get little or no treatment that could ease their suffering or save their lives.

Fraud And Billing Mistakes Cost Medicare — And Taxpayers — Tens Of Billions Last Year
By Fred Schulte At a hearing Wednesday, federal health officials pointed to billing errors, fraud and overcharges that led Medicare to overpay by staggering sums.

Congress Squares Off Over Drug Pricing And A Controversial Drug Discount Program
By Sarah Jane Tribble The controversial 340B drug discount program for hospitals came under fire at a congressional hearing.

Messages From Beyond: Using Technology To Seal Your Legacy
By Bruce Horovitz From slick videos to digital “time capsules,” folks have new ways to “stay alive” long after they die.   

Medicare’s Financial Outlook Slightly Improved, Trustees Say
By Phil Galewitz The assessment pushes back the date for the hospital insurance trust fund to go bankrupt by one year. It also says Part B premiums next year will be stable.

Nursing Homes Move Into The Insurance Business
By Jordan Rau Although proponents say the policies offered by nursing homes are more attuned to patients, some report frustrations when trying to dispute care decisions.

Half The Time, Nursing Homes Scrutinized On Safety By Medicare Are Still Treacherous
By Jordan Rau Of the 528 nursing homes that graduated from special focus status before 2014 and are still operating, more than half — 52 percent — have harmed patients or operated in a way that put patients in serious jeopardy within the past three years, a KHN analysis finds.

As Seniors Get Sicker, They’re More Likely To Drop Medicare Advantage Plans
By Fred Schulte Medicare Advantage plans offer good value and aim to keep patients healthy but sicker people are far more likely to quit because they can’t get the care they need.

Seniors Miss Out On Clinical Trials
By Judith Graham Among hurdles: Older adults may have multiple illnesses that could complicate research or they might be unable to manage the commute.

Hospitals Ramp Up Hyperbaric Therapy For Diabetics, Despite Concerns
By Phil Galewitz Medicare is trying to deter overuse of hyperbaric therapy, and some experts question its effectiveness for healing diabetic wounds, one of the treatment’s fastest-growing uses.

‘No One Wants To Be Old’: How To Put The ‘Non-Age’ in Nonagenarian
By Sharon Jayson Living a vital, active life well into your 90s requires positive thinking and activity.