Senior living operators and residents alike are concerned about a proposed federal regulation that could result in steep tax bills for continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) — and they may now have reason to be more worried about that rule taking effect as written. On Wednesday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published […]
Category: Medicare & Medicaid
Long-term care pharmacy giant Omnicare and its parent company CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) are defendants in a federal lawsuit alleging that hundreds of thousands of drugs were improperly dispensed to senior housing residents over a period of years. The complaint, filed Tuesday by the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office, and an accompanying press release name-check several […]
South Bend, Indiana Mayor and Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg on Monday released a detailed, 19-page proposal to make long-term care for seniors more affordable and accessible, and allow retirees to maintain their economic independence. The centerpiece of Buttigieg’s plan is a benefit program, “Long Term Care America,” that would provide eligible seniors — those […]
As more senior housing and care providers get in the Medicare Advantage (MA) game, it is becoming increasingly clear that they are playing a team sport. A striking example comes from Minnesota’s Twin Cities, where 10 different providers have come together with a health insurer and a geriatric medical practice/care management organization to launch one […]
For nearly a decade, American seniors have steadily grown more comfortable with hospice. Nowhere has that growth manifested itself more than in assisted living. Yet for a variety of reasons — including the lingering taboo around hospice and the administrative burdens that come with Medicare — hospice remains largely an assisted living outsider, according to […]
Joanne Ford knows all too well the challenges hospice faces in senior living. “One of the barriers for people making referrals to hospice from assisted living facilities is (AL operators say), ‘We don’t want people to see hospice in our building — please don’t wear your name tag here,’” says Ford, vice president of the […]
Medicare Advantage (MA) is complex, and there are many risks for senior living providers involved in joining or starting a plan. But the risks are perhaps even greater for senior living providers who wait on the sidelines for others to figure it out, according to Juniper Communities Founder and CEO Lynne Katzmann. “If you wait […]
Ten senior housing and care providers in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota will be offering a new Medicare Advantage special needs plan to their residents next year. The plan is a collaboration between the 10 senior living companies, Minneapolis-based nonprofit health plan Medica and integrated care provider Genevive. The senior living providers together have […]
In a move that will further integrate senior housing within the Medicare Advantage landscape, real estate investment trust Welltower (NYSE: WELL) has formed a partnership with Anthem (NYSE: ANTM) affiliate CareMore. The partnership aligns with Welltower’s ongoing push to move senior housing and care into a more central role within the overall U.S. health care […]
Economic trends suggest that the senior living industry should prepare for pain. Low interest rates have become the new normal and could soon go even lower, and this will continue to hurt seniors’ ability to bankroll their retirements, former Federal Reserve Board Chair Janet Yellen said Thursday at the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing […]