| Advocacy |
Group Presses Congress To Enact Tax Relief For Seniors
The 400,000-member organization RetireSafe wants Congress to help struggling seniors by lowering their taxes as part of the pending stimulus package. In particular, RetireSafe President Michelle Plasari points to two onerous tax provisions that the organizations says should be changed now in order to help seniors and the economy. Login to see complete story
01/08/2009 3:30 PM
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AARP Sets Political, Advocacy Agenda For 2009
In outlining the AARP agenda for the 111th Congress, AARP honcho Bill Novelli stresses the urgent need to provide economic relief for America and to fix our healthcare system. Novelli also identifies key areas that will ensure that older workers have the skills they need to compete for 21st Century jobs, help put all Americans on the path to retirement security and strengthen communities across the nation by addressing the housing crisis. Login to see complete story
01/06/2009 11:41 AM
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Challenging Increases in Medicare Part B Income-Related Premiums
Some Medicare beneficiaries have recently received letters from the Social Security Administration (SSA) advising them that they will be paying a higher Medicare Part B premium than others in 2009. If you are among them, here's some adivce about how to challenge the increase. Login to see complete story
01/08/2009 3:53 PM
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| Capitol Hill |
Focus on Entitlement Programs To Be 'Central Part' of New Administration's Spending Control Efforts
President-Elect Barack Obama during a speech Wednesday (Jan. 7) in Washington, DC, said overhauling entitlement programs such as Medicare and Social Security will be "a central part" of his administration's efforts to reduce federal spending. Login to see complete story
01/08/2009 1:31 PM
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Message Hints At Tight Obama Administration
A message that well-placed sources say originated at the senior level of the Obama transition administration has been circulated in congressional Democratic circles to ensure that any legislation sent to the new president will be free of fringe controversy. The new administration expects routine, and sometimes heated, debate on issues but wants to massage legislation and policy messages to avoid consuming time to answer sniping from fringe groups feeling slighted, the sources say. Login to see complete story
01/07/2009 4:29 PM
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New Legislation Would Protect Seniors’ Capital Assets
Capital gains realizations clearly increase with age. According to the IRS and the Tax Foundation, some 30.2% of taxpayers between age 65 and 74 claim capital gains income, while 27.6% of taxpayers over age 75 have capital gains income. The percentage of taxpayers over age 65 with capital gains income is higher than any other age group, and is more than twice the national average of 12.9%. Login to see complete story
01/07/2009 09:37 AM
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Public Housing Revamp Cash Likely
It is increasingly likely that at least $5 billion will be included in a planned economic stimulus bill for public housing improvements. Sources tell us that Obama transition leaders and House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA) have embraced the rationale offered by the public housing industry that rescuing deteriorating public housing not only will provide additional affordable housing quickly, but would create thousands of new jobs. Login to see complete story
01/09/2009 06:15 AM
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| Courts |
Lawsuit Challenges Rules Denying Social Security Benefits To Citizens Who Opt Out of Medicare
Brian Hall, lead plaintiff in a lawsuit [ www.medicarelawsuit.org ] challenging controversial government rules that deny senior citizens their Social Security benefits if they choose to opt out of Medicare, Part A, is asking the court to issue a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction that would prevent the Social Security Administration (SSA) and Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) from enrolling him in Medicare when he becomes eligible this month. Login to see complete story
01/07/2009 4:07 PM
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| Federal Agencies |
Patty Duke Helps SSA Launch New ‘Retire Online’ Web Initiative
Social Security Administration Commissioner Michael Astrue joined today (Jan. 6) with Academy Award winning actress Patty Duke in a news confrence in Washington, DC, to unveil Social Security’s new online retirement application and the agency’s Retire Online campaign. Featuring fictional cousins Patty and Cathy Lane from the hit 1960’s TV sitcom, "The Patty Duke Show," the campaign will let Americans know that it’s now easier than ever to retire online at www.socialsecurity.gov.
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01/06/2009 11:58 AM
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| Fitness & Health |
MRI Emerges As Vital Resource In Treatment Of Back Pain
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a growing technology providing an increasing number of clinical benefits when used in the evaluation of back pain.It is predicted that over the next several years, additional technical developments will allow MRI to provide even more useful orthopaedic benefits. Login to see complete story
01/05/2009 10:10 AM
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Smokers With Stroke In The Family Found 6 Times More Likely To Have Stroke Too
A new study shows that people who are smokers and have a family history of brain aneurysm appear to be significantly more likely to suffer a stroke from a brain aneurysm themselves. Login to see complete story
01/05/2009 10:04 AM
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| Funding Opportunities |
Archstone Foundation Funds Aging-Related Programs
The Southern California-based Archstone Foundation is a leading provider of private funding for aging-related projects and programs. The Foundation was originally known as the FHP Foundation and changed its name to the Archstone Foundation in 1996 to create a completely separate identity from the FP Corporation, which was being acquired by PacifiCare Health Systems. The name Archstone Foundation was selected by the Board of Directors because the Board felt that it represented the Foundation's values of building for lasting change and working in partnership with others. Login to see complete story
01/06/2009 10:25 AM
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Millions In NIH Funding Available For Research Benefiting U.S. Elderly Populations
Millions of dollars in federal grant money will be made available this year in connection with a program jointly sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute (NHLBI), and Office of Behavioral & Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Specifically, the money will be used to underwrite NIH's Centers for Population Health & Health Disparities (CPHHD) Program in supporting centers focusing on health disparities related to differences in incidence, prevalence, mortality, and burden of cancer and related adverse health conditions existing among specific U.S. population groups -- especially the elderly. Login to see complete story
01/05/2009 11:52 AM
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Unsung Leaders Recognized By Petra Foundation
Nominations for Petra Fellows are accepted annually. Fellows, who receive a $7,500 cash award as well as in-kind support from the Foundation to further their work, join a national network of leaders working across the divides of age, ethnicity, class, and issues to build a more just society and their work is recognized and publicized as a model for change. Login to see complete story
01/05/2009 09:40 AM
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| Industry News |
CMS Names Final Five Medicare Contractors To Administer Claims Payments
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has named the final five contractors that will process and pay Medicare claims for healthcare services under the Medicare Fee-for-Service program. The new contracts that will be administered for up to five years will process and pay 36% of the national volume of Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) and Part B (medical insurance) claims payments in 14 states, mostly in the South and Midwest. Login to see complete story
01/07/2009 4:44 PM
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| Medicare/Medicaid |
ACE Demo Sites Selected By CMS
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has made its selections for the Acute Care Episode (ACE) demonstration. ACE is a new hospital-based demonstration that will test the use of a bundled payment for both hospital and physician services for a select set of inpatient episodes of care to improve the quality of care delivered through Medicare fee-for-service. Login to see complete story
01/07/2009 10:10 AM
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CMS Clarifies ‘Negotiated Prices’ Under Medicare Part D
Beginning in 2010, individuals enrolled in Medicare’s prescription drug benefit will pay lower prices at the pharmacy counter under a final rule announced today by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). For beneficiaries with high overall drug expenditures, the change will slow their movement toward the initial coverage limit. Login to see complete story
01/07/2009 07:38 AM
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CMS Proposes Expansion of PET Scans As Cancer Diagnostic Tool
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed a national coverage determination (NCD) to expand coverage for initial diagnostic testing with positron emission tomography (PET) for many Medicare beneficiaries who are being treated for cancer. A minimally invasive diagnostic imaging procedure, PET uses a radioactive tracer to evaluate glucose metabolism in tumors and in normal tissue. Login to see complete story
01/07/2009 07:51 AM
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CMS Unveils First Results of Hospital Quality Reporting For Outpatient Services
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has notified more than 3,000 of the nation's hospitals that they will receive the full payment update for calendar year (CY) 2009 as part of the new Hospital Outpatient Quality Data Reporting Program. The successful hospitals represent 99.3% of all hospitals that participated in the program that began in 2008 as an effort to strengthen the tie between the quality of care furnished to people with Medicare in hospital outpatient departments and the payments hospitals receive for those services. Login to see complete story
01/08/2009 12:57 PM
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| Research and Reports |
Adult-Onset Diabetes Slows Mental Functioning; Deficits Appear Early
Adults with diabetes experience a slowdown in several types of mental processing, which appears early in the disease and persists into old age, according to new research. Given the sharp rise in new cases of diabetes, this finding means that more adults may soon be living with mild but lasting deficits in their thought processes. Login to see complete story
01/06/2009 08:37 AM
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Analysis: Plan To Cover Uninsured Through Medicare Reduces Healthcare Spending By $58B
With health reform high on the agenda of the incoming Congress and President, a new analysis of legislative proposals -- plans of President-Elect Barack Obama and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) -- shows that several proposals already put forth could substantially reduce the number of uninsured Americans, and would either reduce healthcare spending or add only modestly to annual healthcare expenditures. Login to see complete story
01/09/2009 07 AM
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Medication Lapses Pose Risk for One in Four Older Patients Entering Home Health Care
About 28% of elderly patients were found to be at risk for harmful medication interactions or drug duplications when they were admitted to home care, according to a new study by the Center for Home Care Policy & Research. The study also found that during the course of a home care episode, nearly a quarter of patients age 65+ experienced one or more symptoms or signs of a problem or complication related to their drug regimen. Login to see complete story
01/08/2009 4:16 PM
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Study Reveals Most Common Reasons Why Total Hip Replacements May Fail
Each year thousands of patients undergo total hip replacement surgery in order to help alleviate pain associated with debilitating hip disease and other related hip problems. While many successful, long-term results have been documented, limited information currently exists regarding why hip replacements fail in the United States population, find the authors of a new study. Login to see complete story
01/05/2009 09:56 AM
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