Bipartisan Bill Introduces Program to “Fix Medicare by Keeping Seniors Healthy”

Raising premiums and cutting benefits aren’t the only ways to deal with the growing cost of Medicare, but keeping seniors healthy could save the program billions, according to two senators who recently introduced legislation for some preventive incentives. The legislation is for a voluntary Medicare “Better Health Rewards” program, designed to help participating Medicare beneficiaries […]

Kentucky Bill Allows CCRCs to Provide Home Health Services & Nursing Beds

Kentucky lawmakers recently passed a piece of legislation allowing continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) in the state to provide home health services. House Bill 388 permits the services, amends KRS 216B.020 to exempt CCRCs providing these services from requiring a certificate of need, and repeals KRS 216B.335, a limitation on establishing nursing home beds. The […]

Is Adding On-Site Care the Next Requirement for Your Senior Care Community?

Michigan state senators introduced a bill last fall that amends the state’s public health code to include the requirement of designated on-site private examination rooms in certain senior living communities, which encompasses assisted living centers and skilled nursing facilities. Senate Bill No. 747 requires both “homes for the aged” and nursing homes that provide medical […]

State Watch: Long-Term Care News from Around the Nation

As assisted living regulations evolve and tighten, Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements fluctuate, and healthcare reform begins to take effect, many states are facing their own challenges as they continue to develop, operate, and implement new rules and programs. Here is a collection of long-term care related stories from across the nation. From LeadingAge: California Bill […]

Medicaid Waiting Lists Grow in Fla. After Shift to Managed Care

Florida’s state legislature decided in 2011 to cap Medicaid funding and turn long-term care over to privately managed companies, and this has resulted in growing waiting lists for Medicaid residents according to a recent study by the Legislature’s policy analysts, reports the Tampa Bay Times. Florida has three main Medicaid programs that divert people from […]

Minn. Consumers “Flat Out Declining” to Receive Senior Housing Counseling

When Minnesota’s Department of Health and Human Services snuck a provision into its 2012 budget to require individuals to undergo counseling before entering into assisted living or senior housing, some consumers and providers called it an intrusion on personal choice. Three months into the rule’s implementation, assisted living providers say many consumers aren’t following the […]

Senator Targets Reboot, More Funding for Older Americans Act

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has announced he will introduce a bill to reauthorize the Older Americans Act, a federal law first enacted in 1965 that provides assistance to seniors that enables them to remain independent in their homes and communities. “With huge numbers of seniors in need, we must redouble our commitment to help […]

Ohio Sets the Bar Low for Nursing Home Care Quality Improvement

Ohio legislators are aiming to improve the quality of care provided in state nursing homes through new requirements that will affect the amount of Medicaid reimbursement they receive, but some administrators think the standards are too easy to meet, reports Cincinnati.com. Senate Bill 264, sponsored by state senator Shannon Jones, ties higher reimbursements to 20 new […]

Obama: Home Health Care Workers Deserve Extended Wage Coverage

The Obama administration has proposed a new rule to extend minimum wage and overtime coverage for the nearly 2 million workers who provide home health care services for the elderly, according to a White House announcement. The U.S. Labor Department proposal gives health care aides protection under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in keeping […]

Update: Alliance, AHCA Battle House Proposal to Reduce Medicare “Bad Debt” Payments

On Tuesday night, Dec. 13, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that included reducing Medicare bad debt payments, a proposal decried by the American Health Care Association (AHCA) and the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care as it will “unfairly impact” skilled nursing facilities, and further contribute to sector instability. The provision, Section 2224 of […]