Story of the Week Stories - Aging News Alert

SSA’s Muddled Death-Reporting Process ‘Kills’ Our Editor

In this firsthand account by CD Publications Editor Thomas Edwards, learn how a recent bureaucratic blunder impacted the lives of 19,000 Social Security beneficiaries – including his own. Beware! You may be declared dead long before you actually expire if the Social Security Administration has a say.

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Medicare Must Re-Do ‘Improvement Standard’ Education Campaign

In an Opinion and Order released this past week, U.S. District Court for the District of Verrmont Chief Judge Christina Reiss, who oversees the “Improvement Standard” case Jimmo v. Burwell (DocketNo. 11-cv-17 (D.Vt.)), ordered the federal government, through its Centers for Medicare...

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Boomers Continue Buying Medicare Advantage – Despite Pitfalls

Baby Boomers on Medicare continue pouring into Medicare Advantage plans, with nearly 18 million people currently enrolled in them. But a new study identifies pitfalls that might not be obvious to those signing up.

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Trump’s VP Choice of Pence Could be Bad News for Seniors

GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump’s choice of Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate may be sending a negative message to America’s seniors that their priorities will hold little weight in a Trump administration. During his more than 10-year tenure in Congress, Pence consistently voted in favor of legislative efforts to cut benefits in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

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Bipartisan Measure Would Promote Home Modifications for Seniors

The bill would authorize the HHS Assistant Secretary for Aging to coordinate, review, and promote the numerous federal home modification programs and resources that are available to America’s senior population. It is believed that such an effort would contribute to a better understanding of the effectiveness of federal programs at enabling older individuals to live more independently at home.

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Nursing Home Residents Can Seek Placement in Community Settings

Recent federal guidance instructs nursing facilities on how to better identify and support residents who want to move to community settings. As the guidance notes, unnecessary nursing facility placement may constitute illegal disability-based discrimination.

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Bipartisan Senate Bill Would Make Permanent CMS Home Care Pilot

Bipartisan legislation is now in play in the Senate that would convert the Affordable Care Act’s home care pilot program into a permanent, national Medicare program. Indeed, the fact that the bill is backed by key upper chamber members from both sides of the aisle sends a signal that it has a better than average chance of gaining serious traction.

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Bipartisan Policy Center Urges Housing, Healthcare Integration

“Public policy has failed to keep pace with America’s changing demographics,” says Henry Cisneros, former HUD secretary and co-chair of BPC Senior Health and Housing Task Force task force. “Without a comprehensive national approach to integrating health care and housing, far too many seniors will face undue health, home, and financial stresses during their most vulnerable years.”

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Group Rails Against Donald Trump’s Social Security Flip-Flop

The advocacy group Social Security Works – a coalition of more than 300 state and national organizations representing more than 50,000 Americans – is urging its followers to increase pressure on the presumptive GOP presidential candidate, Donald Trump, to steer clear of any plan that would lead to cuts in the popular entitlement program.

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Survey Gives Lawmakers Grist for Rx Drug Price Policymaking

The folks at AARP Research have just released the results of a new survey of older Americans showing that a lot of people over the age of 50 think they’re paying way too much for prescription drugs, and they want lawmakers to do something about it. And, in fact, some lawmakers are trying to do just that.

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