Seniors News and Research

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Study reveals link between allergies, asthma and old age

Mistaken for illnesses like bronchitis and emphysema, exacerbated by medications like aspirin, and overlooked by patients and doctors alike, asthma is a common and highly treatable condition in older adults. And while allergies tend to decrease with age, they also are frequently disregarded as a potential cause of misery for the elderly.

23 Jul 2010

Zsa Zsa Gabor's fall prompts orthopaedic surgeons' advisory to seniors and caregivers

Approximately 66 million Americans care for their aging parents and each year, one in three older Americans fall in their own home. Just this week, 93-year-old actress Zsa Zsa Gabor fell out of bed and broke her hip, ultimately she required hip replacement surgery. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) knows that a fall in the home can be both life threatening and debilitating. Older Americans and their caregivers can take a proactive approach using the following AAOS guidelines to help keep seniors fall and injury-free.

23 Jul 2010

Today's OpEds: The challenge of medicare spending; Two views of Massachussets; Regulating premiums

Health reform can be assessed from the perspective of four groups that collectively include most Americans. For those who are now in Medicaid or who are uninsured, reform will be a major gain. For those who obtain health insurance in the individual and small-group markets, reform should bring improvements. For those who have health insurance from midsize- and large-group insurers, reform will bring little change. Finally, for Medicare beneficiaries, reform promises to bring positive change.

23 Jul 2010

Senate panel to focus on problems at continuing care retirement communities with large fees

The Wall Street Journal: A Senate Committee will hold hearings Wednesday about "continuing-care retirement communities," which charge large up-front fees to care for seniors for life. "CCRCs offer a range of care — from independent-living apartments to skilled nursing facilities — that allows seniors to 'age in place.'

22 Jul 2010

Severe state budget shortfalls trigger Medicaid program cuts

As states face severe budget shortfalls, many have cut home-care services for the elderly or the disabled, programs that have been shown to save states money in the long run because they keep people out of nursing homes. Since the start of the recession, at least 25 states and the District of Columbia have curtailed programs that include meal deliveries, housekeeping aid and assistance for family caregivers, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a research organization.

22 Jul 2010

Lawmakers: Extend Medicaid subsidies to help African-American seniors

"Three black members of Congress on Tuesday said minority nursing home patients would be disproportionately affected if Congress fails to extend bonus payments to state Medicaid programs" (Galewitz, 7/20).

22 Jul 2010

Medicare drug benefit appears to help more seniors with heart failure

The Medicare drug benefit may be helping more older Americans with heart failure get the medications recommended for controlling the disease, a new study finds. The study, of nearly 7,000 older heart failure patients in one large insurance plan, found that the number of filled prescriptions for standard heart failure medications increased after the Medicare drug benefit kicked in in 2006. The biggest increase was seen among seniors who had previously lacked any form of drug coverage.

22 Jul 2010

DenteMax offers largest network approved for Medicare dental benefits

DenteMax, the nation's largest seamless dental PPO network, now also offers the largest seamless network approved for Medicare dental benefits. The new network provides access to more than 65,000 approved dentist access points and is built on the strong foundation of the commercial DenteMax network.

22 Jul 2010

Medicare Star Support Program launched to help Medicare Advantage plans boost star ratings

Health Dialog today announced that it has launched its Medicare Star Support Program to help Medicare Advantage plans boost their Health Plan Quality and Performance ("Star") Ratings and ensure that seniors are getting the best care possible. Star ratings are calculated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and can range from 1 to 5, with 5 representing the highest quality.

21 Jul 2010

First Edition: July 21, 2010

Today's headlines include news regarding specific examples of what could happen at the state level if Congress doesn't extend enhanced federal Medicaid funding.

21 Jul 2010

States worry Congress may not provide extra Medicaid funding; AARP steps in to advocate for the cause

"New York's budget took another blow on Monday, as Congress pulled away from providing more than $1 billion in expected health-care funding. If the money doesn't show up soon, officials warn, there will be layoffs. Senate aides said Monday that a measure to extend unemployment benefits is likely to pass this week, but won't include the extra Medicaid money that Gov. David Paterson and Mayor Michael Bloomberg had been seeking to plug budget holes. In previous versions of the bill, the money had been included along with unemployment benefits."

21 Jul 2010

UnitedHealth Group second-quarter consolidated revenues increase 7% to $23.3 billion

UnitedHealth Group today reported second quarter results, including better-than-projected growth in Health Benefits and Health Services. Key performance metrics and costs were in line with or better than Company expectations.

20 Jul 2010

Kagan would consider health law recusal on a case-by-case basis

The Associated Press: "Responding to a final GOP challenge, Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan said Monday that she would weigh recusing herself from matters related to the new health care law on a case-by-case basis." The issue was raised as part of questions from Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans regarding "her involvement as solicitor general in defending the health law."

20 Jul 2010

Homewood announces acquisition of Human Solutions

Homewood Corporation today announced it has acquired Human Solutions International Inc., based in Vancouver, one of Canada's leading providers of Employee Assistance Programs (EAP).

19 Jul 2010

Patient advocacy groups, home medical associations call for end to Medicare competitive bidding program

In a letter signed by 58 patient advocacy groups and home medical equipment associations, the American Association for Homecare urged Congress to pass H.R. 3790, a bill to repeal the Medicare competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment in a budget-neutral manner. The bill currently has 252 cosponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives.

17 Jul 2010

NCOA adds ILS as partner to sponsor Private Label version of online screening service for senior benefits

The National Council on Aging (NCOA) today announced the addition of Independent Living Systems (ILS) as the newest partner to sponsor a Private Label version of BenefitsCheckUp, NCOA's online screening service for senior benefits. The Private Label version of BenefitsCheckUp will allow ILS to enhance the care management services the company currently provides to its clients, many of whom are frail and underprivileged individuals who require chronic care or other special needs.

17 Jul 2010

First in a series of day-long regional health care fraud prevention summits kicked-off in Miami

Attorney General Eric Holder and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today kicked-off the first in a series of regional health care fraud prevention summits in Miami. The summit brought together a wide-array of federal, state and local partners, beneficiaries, providers and other interested parties to discuss innovative ways to eliminate fraud within the U.S. health care system.

17 Jul 2010

New initiative to improve children's nutrition education, help them make smarter food choices

A new initiative to improve children's nutrition education and increase the amount of healthy foods available in schools is a collaboration among Penn State researchers; Pennsylvania's Departments of Health, Education, and Agriculture; Pennsylvania food manufacturers and food distributors; and school districts across the state.

16 Jul 2010

Liberator Medical Holdings third-quarter fiscal 2010 net revenues increase 53%

Liberator Medical Holdings, Inc. today announces record net revenues of approximately $10.62 million for its fiscal third quarter ended June 30, 2010, representing an annualized revenue run rate of $42.5 million.

15 Jul 2010

Florida Medicaid recipients make fewer trips to doctors; Calif. payments to health clinics in jeopardy; Texas addresses nursing shortage

Northeast Florida's Medicaid recipients are making fewer trips to the doctor for chronic illnesses since state officials outsourced the government-subsidized health insurance program to private managed care companies. But it remains unclear from the analysis performed by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, which oversees the state's Medicaid program, whether they're healthier for it. Medicaid reform was launched in 2006 in Duval and Broward counties to test whether HMOs could rein in the state's Medicaid spending.

15 Jul 2010

Seniors News and Research

Study reveals link between allergies, asthma and old age

Zsa Zsa Gabor's fall prompts orthopaedic surgeons' advisory to seniors and caregivers

Today's OpEds: The challenge of medicare spending; Two views of Massachussets; Regulating premiums

Senate panel to focus on problems at continuing care retirement communities with large fees

Severe state budget shortfalls trigger Medicaid program cuts

Lawmakers: Extend Medicaid subsidies to help African-American seniors

Medicare drug benefit appears to help more seniors with heart failure

DenteMax offers largest network approved for Medicare dental benefits

Medicare Star Support Program launched to help Medicare Advantage plans boost star ratings

First Edition: July 21, 2010

States worry Congress may not provide extra Medicaid funding; AARP steps in to advocate for the cause

UnitedHealth Group second-quarter consolidated revenues increase 7% to $23.3 billion

Kagan would consider health law recusal on a case-by-case basis

Homewood announces acquisition of Human Solutions

Patient advocacy groups, home medical associations call for end to Medicare competitive bidding program

NCOA adds ILS as partner to sponsor Private Label version of online screening service for senior benefits

First in a series of day-long regional health care fraud prevention summits kicked-off in Miami

New initiative to improve children's nutrition education, help them make smarter food choices

Liberator Medical Holdings third-quarter fiscal 2010 net revenues increase 53%

Florida Medicaid recipients make fewer trips to doctors; Calif. payments to health clinics in jeopardy; Texas addresses nursing shortage

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