‘Foster Grandparent’ Program Lets Generations Help Each Other
Aiken, S.C.’s aging population also presents opportunities. To help older people pass their wisdom along to younger generations, Aiken has adopted the Foster Grandparents program, which pays seniors $2.65 an hour to read with children during the school year and chaperone summer recreation programs.
The Questionable Lure Of Free Long-Term Care Placement Services (Guest Opinion)
Internet long-term care placement services are the cyberspace era’s quick fix solution for many Americans seeking non-nursing home institutional care for their aging parents or relatives. But their expertise in navigating this bewildering world of assisted living is, at best, a hit-or-miss proposition.
At Age 46, Is Medicare Ripe For A Change?
Seven experts explore what it would take to muster the political will to revamp the popular health care program.
Since the 1990s, nearly every developed country on the planet has reformed the way it finances long-term care for the frail elderly and adults with disabilities. Among the handful of exceptions: The U.S. and the United Kingdom.
PhRMA Chief Says Support For Health Law ‘Was Right Decision’-The KHN Interview
But John Castellani, who came to the drugmakers’ lobbying group after the health care debate, also warns officials against further cuts to the industry.
Growing Hospice Care Costs Bring Concerns About Misuse
Although the benefit is intended for patients who have no more than six months to live, 19 percent now receive hospice services for longer.
Panel Urges Crackdown On Medicare’s Use Of Imaging
Congressional advisory group recommends that doctors who order a lot of MRIs, CT scans and other such procedures be forced to get prior approval.
Berwick: “I’ve Got The Back” Of Medicare Beneficiaries – The KHN Interview
Embattled CMS administrator says partnering with providers will improve care and reduce costs.
Medicaid Managed Care Expands In California As State Adds Many Seniors And Disabled
Even critics of managed care are warming to the idea of including nearly 400,000 seniors and disabled person now receiving health care through the traditional Medi-Cal program. The shift to managed care begins today and will be phased in.
Fact Check: Pat Boone On The Ryan Plan
Even as some Republicans distance themselves from the House-passed budget that would fundamentally change the Medicare program, the conservative seniors group 60 Plus’ celebrity spokesman Pat Boone is boosting the plan.
Most Americans Oppose GOP Plan To Cut Medicaid
Kaiser Family Foundation survey finds about 60 percent of Americans want Congress to keep Medicaid in its current form.
‘No Regrets’ In Nursing Home Industry For Health Law Support-The KHN Interview
Mark Parkinson, head of the largest nursing home lobby, says some nursing homes will be hurt by the law’s requirement to offer workers insurance but they still favor the overhaul to bring health care costs under control.
What Medicaid Cuts Will Mean For Seniors And Others With Disabilities (Guest Opinion)
Howard Gleckman wonders how society will provide care to the frail elderly people who rely on the program and account for one-third of its budget.
States Struggling To Pay For Aged, Disabled Community Programs – A KHN Interview
Martha Roherty, who represents officials running state programs, says that “things that allow people to keep their family members at home longer” are often being cut.
Gloomier-Than-Expected Forecast For Medicare
The outlook for the federal health insurance program that, as of last year, covered 47.5 million elderly and disabled Americans is a dramatic shift from last summer.
Audit Finds Widespread Use Of Antipsychotic Drugs In Nursing Homes
About 14 percent of elderly nursing homes residents receives a so-called atypical antipsychotic medicine despite an increased risk of death when the medicines are used to manage dementia in older people.
Medicare’s Math Problem: Taxes – Benefits = Trouble
Why do seniors receive Medicare benefits totaling more than twice what they pay in to the system?
Medicare Patients Aren’t Taking Advantage Of Some Newly Free Tests
This year, seniors enrolled in Medicare no longer have to pay for more than a dozen tests and services to prevent disease thanks to the health law. Many, however, aren’t lining up for mammograms or colonoscopies though free wellness checks are luring many.
Nursing Home Industry Leader Worries About Cuts To Medicare, Medicaid
Too few resources are available to handle the predicted explosion in the number of elderly, says Mark Parkinson, head of the largest nursing home lobby.
Program Gives Dying People Chance At Giving Longer Goodbyes
A program in St. Louis is giving hospice patients one more way to say goodbye to their loved ones – using a series of volunteers trained to help them tell their stories.
