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(ANALYSIS) Medicare's Crackdown on Overpayments to Skilled Nursing Facilities Seen Working Final regulations implementing Medicare payment rules for SNFs, published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) this past August and based on long-standing MedPAC and GAO recommendations, have created significant changes to Medicare payment policy and are beginning to rein in wasteful spending and overpayments. Login to see complete story
10/15/2009 4:29 PM

Advocacy

(EMERGENCY RELIEF) Seniors Advocacy Group Lobbies for $250 Stimulus in Place of COLA On the eve of the Social Security Trustees' announcement that that there will be no Social Security Cost Of Living Adjustment (COLA) next year, AARP, the nation's largest advocacy organization for people over age 50, made public Wednesday (Oct. 14) its push for a $250 emergency relief package for 2010. Login to see complete story
10/14/2009 3:07 PM

Capitol Hill

(SENATE) Healthcare Reform Bill Clears Finance Committee The Senate Finance Committee today (Tuesday, Oct. 13) approved its healthcare reform legislation by a 14-9 vote. All Democratic members of the committee in addition to Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) voted in favor of the bill. As a result of today's developments on Capitol Hill, organizations providing services to seniors may find themselves being inundated with questions about the legislation and the lawmaking process. Login to see complete story
10/13/2009 5:44 PM

(WHITE HOUSE) Obama Calls for Economic Stimulus Payment to Seniors President Obama on Wednesday (Oct 14) said he supports an additional $250 Economic Recovery Payment to seniors, veterans and people with disabilities who are struggling to make ends meet with retirement savings that have not fully recovered from their losses over the first year of the recession. Login to see complete story
10/14/2009 5:56 PM

Federal Agencies

(AHRQ) Healthcare Costs Increasing for Older Americans, Government Data Show If you're a seniors services manager and it hasn't already happened, prepare yourself for an influx of complaints from clients complaining about the ever increasing cost of healthcare. The latest data from Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), while three-years old, clearly indicate healthcare costs is dramatically increasing for older Americans. Login to see complete story
10/15/2009 10:32 AM

Funding Opportunities

(GRANTS) $150,000 Awards Help Geriatric Diabetes Researchers In partnership with the American Diabetes Associationn, the Association of Specialty Professors offers the ADA-ASP Young Investigator Innovation Award in Geriatric Endocrinology. The two-year, $150,000 award funds the early stages of career development for an endocrinologist interested in geriatric medicine, with a focus on diabetes. Login to see complete story
10/16/2009 12:16 PM

(GRANTS) $75,000 Scholarship Award Available for Geriatrics Specialization The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) Foundation for Health in Aging, in conjunction with the Association of Specialty Professors (ASP), seeks applications for the 2009 T. Franklin Williams Research Scholars Award, a two-year $75,000 a career development program aimed at junior level physician-scientist faculty at U.S. academic medical (allopathic or osteopathic) institutions. Login to see complete story
10/12/2009 11:50 AM

(GRANTS) Brookdale Offers $10,000 'Relatives as Parents' Grants The Relatives as Parents Program (RAPP), offered by the Brookdale Foundation, encourages and promotes the creation or expansion of services for grandparents and other relatives who have taken on the responsibility of parenting when biological parents are unable to care for their children. The program will award seed grants of $10,000 over a two-year period ($6,000 for the first year and $4,000 in the second year) to local, regional, and state public agencies. Login to see complete story
10/12/2009 11:57 AM

Housing

(REPORT) Thousands of Elderly People Face Loss of Choice Homes Up to 160,000 federally-subsidized tenants, many of them elderly, face loss of their homes in the next five years in 20 major metro areas as federal contracts expire and landlords opt to adopt fair market rents. The homes largely are in easy access to frequent, appealing, public transportation with desirable destinations, a study by AARP finds. Login to see complete story
10/16/2009 11:23 AM

(REVERSE MORTGAGES) HUD To Roll Out Mini-Reverse Mortgage Option While waiting for Congress to approve a subsidy to the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) program, officials at the Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) mull a new reverse mortgage product, a mini-HECM. The idea was floated at a Mortgage Bankers Association conference in San Diego, CA. The new mortgage would be offered in addition to the standard HECM package, but it would provide homeowners an opportunity to garner a specified amount of money with a smaller principal limit. Login to see complete story
10/16/2009 11:21 AM

Medicare/Medicaid

(MEDICARE) New Rules Coming for Medicare Advantage, Rx Plans Officials at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) next week will publish proposed revisions to Medicare Part C & D, which they say will improve protections for enrollees -- including vulnerable populations -- and clarify plan participation requirements. The changes are part of the agency's ongoing effort to make the program as efficient as possible. Login to see complete story
10/12/2009 1:14 PM

Retirement

(PENSION PLANS) It's Been a Dismal Year for Pensions, Report Finds There is little surprising about the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development's (OECD) recently released report on countries' pension systems. The bottom line: Pensions just aren't doing well. "No country's pension scheme, is immune from the effects of the financial crisis," says Edward Whitehouse, OECD's head of pension policy analysis. Login to see complete story
10/12/2009 11:04 AM

Social Security

(COLA) Here's Why Social Security Beneficiaries Won't See COLA in 2010 Even though Aging News Alert warned readers more than two weeks ago, many Social Security beneficiaries are scratching their heads and wondering why the Social Security Administration is not going to include a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in their benefit checks for 2010. The reason for this has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with the way the COLA formula was created more than 30 years ago. Login to see complete story
10/15/2009 11:28 AM

Workforce

(JOB SEARCH) 'Buddy, Can You Spare a Job?' -- Examining the New Realities A lot of Americans over the age of 55 plan to work at least until age 69, but most of them who are now looking for a job face tremendous challenges in finding one, finds a new study. Notwithstanding the revelations detailed in the MetLife Mature Market Institute's latest study, the U.S. Department of Labor projects the 55+ population will account for nearly 93% of the net increase in the U.S. Civilian Labor Force between 2006 and 2016. Login to see complete story
10/13/2009 4:28 PM

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