Some private home health care companies have “gamed” the system by targeting the most profitable number of therapy visits, regardless of patient need, a Senate Finance Committee report found in September. Amedisys, LHC Group and Gentiva were found to be conducting the practice of pushing home visits on patients to reach the 10-visit threshold after […]
Healthcare Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) are gaining steam as a property sector, having raised a total of $22.5 billion in the 18 month period ending June 30, a recent Jones Lang LaSalle report states. And in spite of the scale of the sector, healthcare real estate has only marginal penetration by real estate investors, […]
Changing demographic patterns and a rapidly aging population have “major implications” for policy and politics, says a Pew Center on the States infographic. The oldest states, which include Maine, Vermont , West Virginia and New Hampshire may be even more pressed for time when it comes to preparing for long-term care and other challenges that […]
Americans are suffering from low home values, lack of personal savings and battered retirement accounts, but they are showing commitment to saving, says a study of 500 middle-income Americans between the ages of 47 and 65. Of those surveyed, 32% have already paid off their mortgages, but close to half, or 48%, say they do […]
Older Americans are the hardest hit by foreclosure rescue scams, in what amounts to a total of more than $40 million in losses from fees paid to fraudulent and deceptive “rescuers,” says an issue brief from the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Scams targeting the population of those who are ages 51 and […]
The United States’ 1.2 million public housing units need an estimated $25.6 billion for large scale repairs, including public senior housing units, says a recent Department of Housing and Urban Development study. The study, titled “Capital Needs in the Public Housing Program,” updates an analysis from 1998 to estimate the current capital needs in U.S. […]
An online music player specifically catering to the 50+ demographic launched this week through AARP’s website, AARP.org. The player launched through a team effort including AARP and Concord Music Group. The streaming music player, which operates similarly to mainstream music players like Pandora and Slacker, features 18 channels spanning several genres of music. The music […]
For the first time in eight months, home prices saw a month-over-month increase in April according to the Standard & Poors/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices. During April, the 10- and 20-City composite indices increased 0.8% and 0.7% respectively, compared with their March 2011 levels. Both indices remain below their April 2010 levels. “In a welcome shift […]
Wells Fargo announced it will no longer offer reverse mortgages to customers last week. The decision to close down its retail channel stems from economic uncertainty and restrictions associated with reverse mortgages that make it difficult to determine seniors’ abilities to meet the obligations of homeownership. “Home values are pretty unpredictable right now, and when […]
The U.S. Social Security Trust Funds will be exhausted in 2036, and Medicare HI (hospital insurance) Trust Funds will reach exhaustion in 2024, according to a report released last week by the Social Security and Medicare Board of Trustees. The Social Security projection is one year sooner than previously estimated, and for Medicare the projection […]