The nursing home industry has resisted federal emergency plan requirements for many years. These federal plans include strict guidelines for disasters, including a pandemic. A recent report from ProPublica says…
Category: Legislation
New Law Expands Benefits for Chronically Ill Medicare Advantage Beneficiaries
Congress expanded benefits for Medicare recipients with chronic conditions in its latest budget bill. The law gives some Medicare plans the option of covering certain non-medical benefits and also increases…
Where’s My New Medicare Card? How to Find Out the Status
The federal government has begun mailing new Medicare cards to 59 million Americans. You should keep track of when your new card will arrive and contact Medicare if you don’t…
Proving That a Transfer Was Not Made in Order to Qualify for Medicaid
Medicaid law imposes a penalty period if you transferred assets within five years of applying, but what if the transfers had nothing to do with Medicaid? It is difficult to…
How to Appeal a Medicare Prescription Drug Denial
If your Medicare drug plan denies coverage for a drug you need, you don’t have to simply accept it. There are several steps you can take to fight the decision.…
Long-Term Care Insurer Cannot Be Sued for Elder Financial Abuse
Long-term care insurance policyholders suing Bankers Life and Casualty Company were dealt a blow by the Oregon Supreme Court when it ruled that the state’s elder financial abuse statute does…
Report Finds Lack of Government Oversight of Assisted Living Facilities
The government is spending billions to fund assisted living services through Medicaid, but government oversight and regulation of assisted living facilities is lacking, according to a new government report. Medicaid…
Estate Planning and Retirement Considerations for Late-in-Life Parents
Older parents are becoming more common, driven in part by changing cultural mores and surrogate motherhood. Comedian and author Steve Martin had his first child at age 67. Singer Billy…
Home Health Care Patients With Chronic Conditions Are Having Trouble Getting Medicare
Medicare is supposed to provide up to 35 hours a week of home care to those who qualify, but many Medicare patients with chronic conditions are being wrongly denied such…
Medicare Launches Hospice Compare Website
Patients looking for hospice care can now get help from Medicare’s website. The agency’s new Hospice Compare site allows patients to evaluate hospice providers according to several criteria. The site is…