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Reports
Report:
The Impact of Part D on Dual Eligibles Who Spend-Down to Medicaid (April
2007)
The report highlights the Part D implications for individuals
spending down in order to qualify for Medicaid. Because many senior
citizens are not Medicaid-eligible on the federal level, they have often
managed to qualify for the state Medicaid program by spending down excess
income. In doing so, however, senior citizens have faced many problems
with the transition from Medicare Part D. As a result, they experience
frequent disruptions in drug and healthcare coverage.
Report: Interventions that Increase the Utilization of Medicare-Funded Preventive Services for Persons Age 65 and Older
(2003)
As Americans over 65 continue to increase and as life expectancy rises, many aging advocates have called for preventive health care services for elder persons. Early detection of conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and many others can prove to be somewhat preventable given the right resources. This will also prove to be cost effective. This particular report is an effort to determine the best possible strategies for early detection and/or prevention of chronic diseases. Specifically, the report looks at interventions aimed at improving influenza and pneumococcal immunization rates, mammography rates, cervical smear cytology rates, and colon cancer screening rates.
Articles
Justices
Upheld Regulation That Home Care Employees Not Entitled to Overtime (June
11, 2007)
The Fair Labor Standards Act
does not protect home
care workers who treat many of the nation’s elderly and disabled,
according to a recent Supreme Court ruling. The Court ruled out any
entitlement to overtime pay, compensation which, if offered, would cost
the industry billions of dollars. One home care company, Long Island Care
at Home Ltd., claims that such a burden would be “unsustainable”.
Seventy-three-year-old retiree Evelyn Coke, who claimed that she was never
paid overtime during her twenty-year career as a home care worker filed
the suit. What justice for low
wage workers who care for elders?
Doctors Say Medicare Cuts will Hurt Patients (June 4, 2007)
Congress has proposed to cut Medicare funds by 10 percent in 2008. In a survey given to around 9,000 doctors, 14 percent said they would discontinue caring for Medicare patients if the cut is made. The majority of the doctors say they would limit care or shift care to hospitals. Most agree that such a cut would put the US healthcare system for older persons into further havoc. The American Medical Association, recognizing that Medicare patients will have a difficult time accessing doctors, are currently preparing to sponsor legislation to block this cut.
Obama
Offers Universal Health Care Plan (May 29, 2007)
Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama submitted his universal
healthcare plan, saying that it could potentially save the average
American $2,500 dollars. Obama proposes that government and business would
be required to support a sliding scale subsidy to insure the currently 45
million uninsured persons in the United States. Former Senator John
Edwards has also said a tax increase for the richest would be needed for
his health plan. While John Edwards would make health insurance mandatory,
Obama would not. Senator Clinton has said her plan would include
preventative health measures that’s part of Obama’s plan as well.
US: Clinton Reenters the Health-Care Fray (May 25, 2007)
The issue of healthcare in the United States has emerged as a mounting political issue. Citizens are pressing Democrat candidates, such as Hillary Clinton, to present specific plans on how to fix the US healthcare system, in which over 4 million Americans have no insurance. Thus far, Senator John Edwards has presented his ideas on the issue, admitting that he plans to raise taxes in order to pay for a more efficient system. Clinton has slowly begun to release details of her strategy, citing a seven-step plan highlighting prevention and cutting back costs of chronic care. Senator Obama, on the other hand, is expected to announce his plan for healthcare in Iowa next week.
Vices and Virtues of the American
Health System (May 19, 2007)
(Article in French)
As part of the Cannes Festival and American director Michael Moore’s new
movie, Sicko, Le Monde interviewed US and French Health Systems American
expert Vicor G Rodwin. He described the limitations of the US health
system and pointed out some of the positive aspects of the French
system. He explained that the privatization of the US system leaves many
people behind.
Defrauding Seniors (May 8, 2007)
In addition to providing Medicare "Part D" prescription drug coverage, private insurers offer a "Medicare Advantage" plan for seniors—private plans that supposedly save money. But the private insurance companies “cherry pick” the youngest and healthiest beneficiaries resulting in extreme overpayments to the private managed care plans. The additional payments to Medicare Advantage plan are causing higher premiums for all beneficiaries and speeding the depletion of the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund for Medicare.
Fewer Employers Offer Health Benefits (May 1, 2007)
An increasing number of new small employers choose not to offer health benefits to their workers. The US Government Accountability Office reports that there is an 8 percentage point drop in the share of small employers offering benefits from 2001 to 2006 and said many employers that offer health benefits now make workers pay a higher share of out-of-pocket costs.
Medicare Part D Drug Prices Are Climbing
Quickly (April 2007)
Increases in Medicare Part D prices are outpacing consumer inflation and
seniors’ incomes, creating a growing burden for both beneficiaries and
taxpayers. The Medicare Modernization Act, which created Part D,
prohibited Medicare from using its clout to bargain on behalf of its 43
million beneficiaries to obtain lower prices. In contrast, no Part D
plan—even those with the largest numbers of enrollees—has been able to
gain enough market share to bring down prices; instead prices for 15 of
the drugs most frequently prescribed to seniors have increased. The time
has come to make Medicare Part D more cost effective by eliminating the
prohibition that prevents Medicare from bargaining for better prices.
Medicare’s Phony Problem: The 45 Percent
Threshold (April 2007)
The 2007 Medicare Trustees’ report projects that by the year 2013 more
than 45 percent of Medicare’s total funding will come from general
revenues. Under the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act (MMA), if the 45%
threshold is crossed, then a series of specific steps to deal with the
“problem” is triggered. A closer look, however, shows that this 45
percent threshold has no real significance. Moreover, correcting this
nonexistent problem could do serious harm to Medicare beneficiaries and
distract policymakers from honest discussions about how best to
strengthen Medicare.
As Health Plan Falters, Maine Explores Changes (April 30, 2007)
Maine became the first state in years to enact a law intended to provide universal health care. By 2009, the State planned to provide coverage to approximately 130,000 uninsured residents. So far, it has not come close to that goal. As Maine tries to implement reforms, some challenges include how to better address the concerns of their largely rural, poor and elderly populations with significant health needs.
Medicare’s Troubling Prospects (April 26, 2007)
Recent reports announce that the date of insolvency of the Medicare program has been pushed back by a year — to 2019. Now politicians are trying to find financial solutions. A clause in the 2003 law that established the new Medicare drug program states that no more than 45 percent of total Medicare expenditures can come out of general revenues. Any revenue gained from repealing Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthiest 1% could not be used to help finance Medicare. This New York Times editorial suggests that instead of cutting healthcare benefits or payments to health care providers, politicians should look to cut the lavish subsidies provided to private health plans that participate in Medicare.
Report: Medicare 101: What You Really Need to
Know: Alliance for Health Reform (April 20, 2007)
A panel sponsored by the Alliance for Health Reform and the Kaiser
Family Foundation features experts explaining how Medicare is funded,
who it serves, and what Parts A, B, C and D cover. This discussion is
available both as a transcript and as a
video webcast.
Report: Forthcoming Medicare Trustees’ Report
May Contain Dubious “Medicare Funding Warning” (April 20, 2007)
Anticipating the release of the annual report of the Social Security and
Medicare trustees, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities declares
that it may contain a dubious “Medicare Funding Warning” that is based
on a deeply misleading measure of the program’s health. The 45-percent
threshold represents an ideologically driven approach to Medicare’s
financing woes that protects the nation’s most affluent residents at the
expense of Medicare beneficiaries and working families of more modest
means. Also, focusing on this dubious “warning” is not only devoid of
analytic merit but will impede efforts to address Medicare’s problems.
Senate Bars Medicare Talks for Lower Drug Prices (April 19, 2007)
The US Senate blocked a proposal to let Medicare negotiate lower drug prices for millions of older Americans, a practice now forbidden by law. Democrats could not muster the 60 votes needed to take up the measure in the face of staunch opposition from Republicans. The opponents said private insurers and their agents, known as pharmacy benefit managers, were already negotiating large discounts for Medicare beneficiaries. Senator Amy Klobuchar, a freshman Democrat from Minnesota, said the vote showed that “the power of big pharma,” the pharmaceutical industry, “is still a presence in the halls of Congress.”
AARP Says It Will Become Major Medicare Insurer While Remaining a Consumer Lobby (April 17, 2007)
AARP, the former American Association for Retired Persons, announced that it would become a major participant in the nation’s health insurance market, offering an HMO plan to Medicare recipients and several other products to people 50 to 64 years old. People ages 50 to 64 often find that health insurance is unavailable or unaffordable when they try to buy it on their own. AARP said its underwriting practices would be less stringent than those of many commercial insurers, but it reserved the right to deny coverage to some sick people ages 50 to 64.
Report: Rhetoric versus Reality:
Comparing Medicare Part D Prices to VA Prices (April 2007)
This report compares the lowest prices for drugs offered by Medicare
Part D. Since the inception of the Part D benefit, evidence shows that
private plans have not reduced drug prices for seniors. Rather, prices
have climbed. Over the past year, Part D drug prices have increased
several times faster than the inflation rate. Families USA analyzed the
prices for certain drugs most frequently prescribed to seniors and found
that Part D insurers charged prices that were substantially higher than
those obtained by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Report: Waste and Inefficiency in the Bush
Medicare Prescription Drug Plan: Allowing Medicare to Negotiate Lower
Prices Could Save $30 Billion a Year (April 2007)
If the Senate follows the House in passing legislation that will allow
Medicare to negotiate for cheaper prescription drugs, the result will be
around $30 billion in savings for seniors, for the Medicare Part D
program, and for the health care system as a whole. These kinds of
policy changes offer significant savings for the government that, in
this era of pay-as-you-go budgeting, could be used to fund other vital
programs or to help fill in the Part D coverage gap known as the
doughnut hole. The proposed changes in the Medicare Part D law would
undo the legislative provisions that were only inserted into law only
because of special interest lobbying.
Report: The Effect of Different Public Health
Interventions on Longevity, Morbidity, and Years of Healthy Life (April
2007)
What is the goal of public health for older persons? Public health
doctors and their staff must consider what results their actions will
produce. In a highly statistical study that has ethical implications,
the researchers looked at interventions that would help different sets
of persons. For example, interventions aimed at keeping persons healthy
increased longevity and years of healthy life, while decreasing
morbidity and medical expenditures. Interventions that focused on
preventing mortality had a greater effect on longevity, but had higher
future morbidity and medical expenditures. Finally, the researchers
found that if public health doctors did more comprehensive screening and
treatment of new Medicare enrollees, they likely would improve
enrollees’ health and longevity without increasing future medical
expenditures.
Report: Medicaid and Long-Term Care: How will
Rising Costs Affect Services for an Aging Population? (April 2007)
This brief from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College
explores trends in Medicaid spending on long-term care and the
implications of its rapid growth for taxpayers and for the needs of an
ag¬ing population. The first section defines long-term care. The second
section describes Medicaid’s role in financing it. The third section
describes the impact of Medicaid on state budgets. The final section
assesses efforts to rein in Medicaid spending.
Report: Medicaid Long-Term Care: Few Transferred
Assets before Applying for Nursing Home Coverage; Impact of Deficit
Reduction Act on Eligibility Is Uncertain (March 2007)
The Medicaid program paid for nearly one-half of the nation’s total
long-term care expenditures in 2004. The GAO (Government Accountability
Office) recently released a report that examines the demographic and
financial characteristics of a sample of Medicaid nursing home
applicants. Researchers examined the extent to which these applicants
transferred assets for less than Fair Market Value and the potential
effects of the Deficit Reduction Act provisions on Medicaid eligibility
for long-term care.
Govs and Hospitals Try to Block Medicaid Cuts (March 22, 2007)
A coalition of governors and hospital groups says it has the support of nearly two-thirds of the members of Congress to block a Bush administration plan to cut $5 billion in Medicaid funding. Governors, state Medicaid directors and public hospitals are urging Congress to pre-empt a new rule proposed to take effect in September that would limit federal reimbursements to government-run hospitals. Budget considerations could potentially hamper efforts to block the administration’s rules. It’s unclear whether the Democratic leadership in Congress would require cuts elsewhere to offset the $5 billion in savings the administration was counting on when it drafted its budget.
Insuring Children May Squeeze
Seniors (March 26, 2007)
The Democratic Party leadership of Congress is moving to provide healthcare coverage to millions of uninsured children this year, but there's a catch: senior citizens enrolled in a popular Medicare program may have to help pay the bill. Lawmakers want to provide coverage to as many as 6 million of an estimated 9 million uninsured children, by increasing federal spending as much as $60 billion over the next five years. But budget rules designed to curb the deficit require new expenditures to be offset by tax increases or cuts in programs. To help meet the cost, Congress is considering trimming payments to Medicare managed-care plans. The privately run alternatives to traditional programs serve about 8 million senior citizens, including those in health maintenance organizations. If funding is reduced, the plans may cut dental, vision and other benefits.
Report: Long-Term Care Preferences: A Survey of Alabama Residents Age
35+ (March 2007)
A recent AARP study shows that Alabama residents prefer receiving long-term care services in the home. Two-thirds of respondents support spending more state funding on home and community-based care. The Alabama State Legislature is currently evaluating a Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) supported program called Money Follows the Person Program. Through this program, persons eligible for Medicaid long term care services would be able to decide the setting in which they receive services and funds would be allocated to support their choices.
Report: Medicare: A Primer (March 2007)
This Kaiser Family Foundation guide examines Medicare, a program
established in 1967 which provides health coverage to nearly 44 million
people—including about 37 million people age 65 and older and another 7
million younger adults with permanent disabilities. The primer looks at
the characteristics of the Medicare population, what benefits are
covered, how much people with Medicare pay for their benefits and the
program’s overall costs and future financing challenges. Particularly
interesting is the table showing the number of Medicare beneficiaries in
each state, broken out by age and income level.
Medicare Providers Face Tighter Scrutiny (March 20, 2007)
A congressional probe into tax fraud by physicians, suppliers and other Medicare providers may lead to changes in how the program pays contractors and could expand into a wider inquiry into whether other individuals and institutions doing business with Medicare also abused the tax system.
To do Health Care Right, Rich Must be Taxed (March 14, 2007)
New York Governor Spitzer’s commitment to clear away the bureaucratic obstacles that keep hundreds of thousands of eligible New Yorkers off Medicaid is a major step forward. Unfortunately, while Spitzer is extending health coverage with one hand, he is yanking away a lifeline from the state's hospitals and nursing homes with the other. One solution to help with the Medicare budget is to place a tax on earnings consisting of one day’s pay for every $500,000 earned annually.
Report: Health Care Spending and the Aging
of the Population (March 13, 2007)
This report, prepared for Congress by the Congressional Research
Service, focuses on health care spending which has been growing as a
percentage of national income, federal spending, and many consumers’
income. Growth in spending for health care is of particular concern to
policymakers because Medicare and Medicaid already account for about 21%
of federal spending. Over the next several decades, both national and
federal spending on health care are expected to grow rapidly due to
changing demographics (growing percentage of older people) and rising
health care costs for all age groups. This has implications regarding
public spending priorities and economic growth.
Reject Bush's Health Care Plan (March 12, 2007)
Bush’s health plan throws the responsibility of healthcare on the individual rather than making care a shared risk that the state helps shoulder. This plan inevitably forces people to be more frugal with their healthcare spending, resulting in fewer people taking preventive measures with their health. When treatable illnesses go undetected for years, they grow into expensive serious illnesses. Many new plans with a shared risk approach have surfaced since the Democrats gained control of the Senate. One such plan, written by Jacob Hacker from Yale University and published as part of the Economic Policy Institute’s Agenda for Shared Prosperity, draws on the strengths of the employer-provided health insurance system and the advantages of public insurance. Hacker’s plan would permit people without Medicare or employer-based health care to buy into the Health Care for America insurance pool, modeled largely on Medicare, but tailored for the non-elderly population.
Most Support U.S. Guarantee of Health Care
(March 2, 2007)
According to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll, a majority of US citizens willing to pay higher taxes to have universal health insurance. More than three-quarters are not happy with Bush’s handling of the healthcare issue. The majority believe that the Democrats are more likely to improve the healthcare system. More than 46 million uninsured Americans would greatly benefit from a universal healthcare system.
Medicaid Cuts Would Cost Public Hospitals, Other Facilities (March 1,
2007)The
Bush Administration plans to cut nearly $4 billion in aid for public
hospitals and other healthcare facilities for uninsured patients.
Medicaid, the federal-state program, serves more than 55 million low
income people, including the working poor, elderly nursing home
residents with few financial resources and many children of low income
parents. The administration is attempting to move forward with these
proposed changes without any input from Congress or governors. However,
43 senators and 226 House members are trying to pass legislation to
block the cuts from going into effect.
Profit for Some or Care for All (February 27, 2007)
Current health coverage in the US is costly and inefficient. A publicly administered policy with an affordable premium that allows a choice of doctors and hospitals with reliable benefits would force private insurance companies to be more efficient in order to compete.
Universal Care: Watch Your Language (February 27, 2007)
A study group was put together by Lake Research Partners to decode arguments claiming that the current
US health system is the most effective one. The study found that the main point needing emphasis is quality affordable health care--a system that covers everyone but does not drive up costs for everyone else or decrease quality of care.
Report: Is Medicaid Sustainable?
Spending Projections for the Program’s Second Forty Years (February 23,
2007)
A recent Kaiser Family Foundation lays out the national concern about
baby boomers’ LTC (long term care) costs and the pressures placed on
Medicaid by the expected decline in employer-sponsored insurance. The
report claims that the growth in government revenues will be large
enough to sustain Medicaid spending increases. Researchers make clear
that there is no need to rush headlong into changes in Medicaid for fear
that Medicaid is unsustainable or will bankrupt state and federal
taxpayers. A measured, careful approach makes much more sense.
Saving Private Insurance (February 22, 2007)
Proposals for healthcare reform all revolve around private insurance companies, while the problem with the healthcare system in the US is the conflict of interest of private insurance companies. Public coverage has been proven in other industrialized countries to reduce costs and increase efficiency and coverage to all citizens. By examining the history of insurance in
the US and understanding the shortcomings of the current system, this article shows how public coverage is the most logical solution to the healthcare
crisis in the US.
Bush Goes on Road to Push Health Plan (February 21, 2007)
President Bush’s plan to expand health coverage by revamping the tax code to cut taxes for the poor so they can afford private health insurance has been pronounced dead by leading Democrats on Capitol Hill. The plan, however, has invited mixed reactions from Democrats. While all feel that the plan needs to be largely altered, some appreciate that universal healthcare has been brought to the headlines.
Caring for an Aging America (February 15, 2007)
In an invited testimony before the US House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations as part of the Hearing on Health Care Access and the Aging of America, Mary Jane Koren, assistant vice president of the Commonwealth Fund, explained the changing health concerns of an aging America. Since the elderly will constitute a significantly larger part of the population by 2020 and one fifth of the population by 2050, the healthcare system requires reform to meet the needs of an aging society. Koren suggests that our long-term health system should not try to extend the lives of older persons using very painful and costly methods. Rather, she believes funding should support care that helps them maintain their independence and quality of life.
US: Report: Medicaid In Depth: A Special Research Series (February 2007)
Governor Spitzer’s 2007-08 Executive Budget calls for a series of Medicaid cost-containment measures, including a freeze on hospital and nursing-home reimbursement rates. New York’s high Medicaid spending— more than double the per-capita norm for all states—stems from deeply rooted patterns of health-care spending, regulation and use that have failed to produce better care. In keeping with Governor Spitzer’s “patients first” perspective, this special research series uses the latest federal data to highlight Medicaid spending on major demographic groups: the elderly, children, non-elderly adults, and the disabled.
US: Report: The Rising Burden of Health Spending on Seniors (February 2007)
Increasing life expectancies, rising spending per retiree and a growing retired population are fueling higher health care expenditures on the older US population. Experts say that retirees’ health care cost are projected to rise substantially, even under current-law projections. If the cost sharing shifts and seniors are asked to pay more of their own health care costs, health care will crowd out other spending options for future retirees. Current workers must anticipate these changes. They will have to consider staying in the workforce longer, saving more or consuming less health care as the relative price of health care increases. The report does not address changing the fundamental structure of US health care as a way to reduce retirees’ costs.
Report: State by State Formulary
Variability in Medicare Prescription Drug Plans for Auto-Assigned Long
Term Care Residents (February 2007)
The Long Term Care Pharmacy Alliance published a recent study that
documents how most low income nursing home residents have a poor chance
of being enrolled in the Medicare Part D plan that best covers their
medications.
$3
Trillion Bush Budget to Trim Domestic Programs (February 2, 2007)
US President Bush recently submitted a budget proposal to Congress to
increase spending on more military operations in
Iraq
and
Afghanistan
. The Defense Department also seeks $481.4 billion to run the department
for 2008. All the while, Bush plans to continue to decrease domestic
program spending on Medicare, Medicaid for the poor and disabled, farm
programs and college grants for low income students.
Georgetown University Long-Term Care Financing Project Fact Sheets: Medicare and Long-term Care (February 2007)
Medicare has contributed to the wellbeing of the nation’s elderly and people with disabilities. Over the past four decades, Medicare has helped to improve the health of its beneficiaries. But Medicare also has significant gaps. This report examines how Medicare could be modified to play a larger role in financing long-term care. Options include federalizing long-term care costs for dual eligibles and adding a personal care benefit to Medicare.
Bringing
Health Care to Katrina’s Uninsured (January 29, 2007)
More than a year after Hurricane Katrina, eastern
New Orleans
remains without a stable medical or health-care infrastructure. Hundreds
of people, young and old, are still without health insurance in areas hit
hard by the storm. A week-long
health fair event recently began to serve those citizens who no longer
have insurance, are unemployed or otherwise cannot afford regular health
care. By the end of the week, 10,000 patients are expected to be seen.
People began arriving as early as 2 a.m. in need of health services.
Qualifying for Medicaid after Making
Cash Gifts (January 27, 2007)
Since the implementation of the Deficit Reduction Act in February
2006, stricter rules have made qualifying for Medicaid much more
difficult. Oftentimes, seniors
turn to Medicaid for help in paying long-term care bills.
Individuals typically become eligible for Medicaid after using up
all but about $2,000 of their cash and investments with certain
exceptions. One way of reaching that threshold without spending the money
is to give it to someone else, often their children.
But the parents, if they enter a nursing home, could be left in a
bind.
Bush’s
Focus on Health Care Draws Criticism,
New Hope
(January 23, 2007)
The Administration’s proposals for shrinking the number of
health-uninsured citizens in the country face much criticism. Critics
state that President Bush's tax break for health insurance proposal would
do little to reduce the ranks of the uninsured. "Since most uninsured
citizens pay low or no taxes, they would receive little help from this
plan," said the Center for American Progress Action Fund.
Additionally, this approach could undermine the employer-based insurance
system by shifting many citizens from stable employer-based insurance,
where the risk is spread over an entire work force, into the unstable
individual insurance market.
Group
Offer Health Plan for Coverage of Uninsured (January 19, 2007)
Business and consumer groups, doctors, hospitals and drug companies
recently laid out a major proposal to provide health coverage to more than
half of the nation’s 47 million uninsured. The plan proposes to address
the nation’s health care crisis by expanding federal benefit programs
and offering new tax credits to individuals and families.
Critics feel tax credits may not guarantee access to comprehensive
coverage and could leave consumers with high out-of-pocket costs.
Nevertheless, more action has taken place to address this crisis. Dr. Reed
V. Tuckson, senior vice president of UnitedHealth Group states, “Day
after day, people die. We are sick and tired of the debate. We are
focusing on what is achievable."
Fed
Chief Sends Warning on Budget (January 18, 2007)
Once again the US Administration is floating privatization of Social
Security. Leaders fail to take
responsibility for the enormous tax cuts given to the richest in the
US
and now cry “poverty” for social programs.
Hooked
on Drug Money: Will Congress Take a Stand on Medicare?
(January 10, 2007)
One of the key issues that Democrats plan to tackle is changing the
Medicare drug benefit by negotiating lower prices with the pharmaceutical
industry. Critics of the Medicare drug benefit plan believe it was
designed to enrich the pharmaceutical and insurance industries at the
expense of taxpayers and beneficiaries. The industry has made many claims
to maintain its profit levels. Taxpayers
and beneficiaries have opposed these assertions
since some $300-$400 billion dollars could be saved over the next decade
by negotiating prices. However, the industry gives enormous
campaign contributions to members of Congress and presidential candidates
to support their case.
Study Finds Major
Variation in Medicare Rx Drug Costs (January 10, 2007)
University
of Michigan researchers found that there is tremendous variation in what
Medicare enrollees in different states pay for the same medications, even
with the lowest-cost Part D plans. Thus, two people taking the same drugs
but living in different states could face costs that differed by thousands
of dollars, even if each had chosen the lowest-cost plan available to
them. The discrepancy in plan costs appears to have little to do with the
cost of living in different states. In fact, some of the states with the
lowest cost-of-living-adjusted average incomes had some of the highest
drug plan costs. The results, published in the January Journal of General
Internal Medicine, may help inform the Congressional effort to reform the
Medicare drug benefit. For the full research
report, click here.
Schwarzenegger
Proposes Universal Health Coverage (January 9, 2007)
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) recently proposed a system of universal
health insurance for all Californians. "Prices for health care and
insurance are rising twice as fast as inflation, twice as fast as wages.
That is a terrible drain on everyone, and it is a drain on our
economy," states Schwarzenegger. His plan would require everyone
living in
California
to have health insurance regardless of immigration status.
If the proposal is approved,
California
would be the third state in the nation to adopt legislation that
guarantees medical coverage for all its residents. Analysts say this
proposal signifies the revival of political interest in expanding health
coverage to the uninsured and provides evidence that the states are
beginning to take matters into their own hands. Census figures show that a
record 46.6 million Americans, including 8.3 million children, had no
health insurance in 2005, up from 45.3 million in 2004.
Power Shift in
Congress Revives Health Debate (January 2, 2007)
Power will shift in Congress this month as the alignment changes
between Republicans and Democrats. Legislators
will examine the nation’s health care system. Expect a battle over the
current law that prevents the government from negotiating lower drug
prices for Medicare beneficiaries.
Some policy makers believe that competition in the private sector
keeps drug prices down. However,
others argue that Medicare should offer a government-run drug plan as well
to secure lower drug prices for all elderly. When Congress begins later
this week, debates will begin that affect more than 22.5 million
beneficiaries. Let your Congressional Representative know what you think.
Families
USA
Report: No Bargain: Medicare Drug Plans Deliver High Prices
(January 2007)
Families
USA
, The Voice for Healthcare Consumers’ recent report on Medicare Part D
found that these plans fail to deliver on the
promise that competition would bring prices down. The use of “market
power,” lauded by Medicare officials and the Administration, has not
resulted in drug prices that are comparable to the low prices negotiated
by the VA. Studies found that for all of the top 20 drugs
prescribed to seniors, VA prices are substantially lower than the lowest
prices charged by the largest Part D insurers. For example, half of
the 20 drugs the lowest price charged by the largest Part D insurers was
at least 58 percent higher.
Analysis Compares Health Care Spending In US and OECD Nations
(January 2007)
Compared to other developed nations, the US spends more on health care per capita and devotes a greater share of its GDP to health. Despite this relatively high level of spending, the US does not provide substantially greater health resources to its citizens, or achieve substantially better health benchmarks, compared to other rich countries. This growing gap between health spending in the US and that of other rich countries may encourage policymakers to look more closely at what people in the US are getting for their far higher and faster growing spending on health care. The Kaiser Family Foundation report, based on information from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, is part of the Foundation's Snapshots: Health Care Costs series.
Private Insurance/Other
Mass. has yet to Collect Fees from Firms for Healthcare: Totals Expected to Fall Far Short of Predictions (May 10, 2007)
Universal healthcare in Massachusetts is under-funded because payroll taxes will not be collected for this fiscal year. Even next year with payroll tax collections, the expected revenue now is significantly less than the original estimated revenues due to former Massachusetts Governor Romney’s restructuring of the legislation to decrease the number of firms required to pay the fees.
Universal Coverage For The Not-Poor (May 9, 2007)
Business leaders jumped into the universal health care pool this week, as 36 companies formed the Coalition to Advance Healthcare Reform and called for a system where all individuals are required to carry health insurance. The crucial debate now is over what role the US government should play to secure affordable, quality coverage for all. The coalition, which includes some insurance and pharmaceutical companies, appears to favor continued restrictions on the US government's ability to keep insurance companies honest and serve all the public.
US Companies Launch New Group to Lobby Health Care (May 7, 2007)
Aetna Inc., Safeway Inc. and 35 other U.S. companies facing soaring health-care costs released a plan on Monday to lobby Congress for a market-based approach for providing universal health-care coverage. The group, called the Coalition to Advance Healthcare Reform, also wants tax breaks to be given to individuals who pay for their own health-care costs, as businesses do now. They encourage a preventive health approach rather than the reactive system in place today. President George W. Bush has suggested a version of this approach. At present, 46 million Americans have no health insurance.
As Health Plan Falters, Maine Explores Changes (April 30, 2007)
After Maine became the first state in years to attempt to achieve universal healthcare in 2003 through a plan called Dirigo, it has yet to meet its goals. Amendments are being passed to the state legislation to attempt to fix the program’s shortcomings. However, Maine’s demographics of mostly small businesses and seasonal workers, plus limited resources, make universal healthcare difficult to achieve.
Insurers Fight to Defend Lucrative Medicare Business: As Democrats Push Cuts, Trade Group Targets Minority Lawmakers (April 30, 2007)
Insurance companies currently supplying Medicare Advantage are lobbying strongly against a future Democrat-driven attempt to cut the Medicare Advantage budget in order to finance a universal children’s healthcare insurance. Medicare Advantage is costing the government significantly more than traditional Medicare. Some Democrats argue that it would be cheaper to provide the extra benefits provided by Medicare Advantage directly than going through private companies. Also, Medicare Advantage is not a universal plan with a variety of plans differing by company and region.
Health Care That Works (April 17, 2007)
The big debate in universal health care is over the role of the private health insurance industry. Since Democratic candidates have all essentially taken vows to guarantee universal health care coverage by the end of their first or second term, the power of advocating a realistic universal plan lies in the hands of the voters. The candidates are currently listening to the needs of the people who are making it very clear that they are fed up with the status quo. Thus, it is our responsibility to get answers to questions like what is the role of the private health insurance industry in a universal coverage plan.
Aged, Frail and Denied Care by Their Insurers
(March 29, 2007)
Long-term care insurance companies, particularly Conseco, Bankers Life and Penn Treaty, have a systematic approach to avoid payments to their policyholders. Thousands of policyholders say they have received only excuses about why insurers will not pay. Interviews by The New York Times and confidential depositions indicate that some long-term-care insurers have developed procedures that make it difficult — if not impossible — for policyholders to get paid. In California alone, nearly one in every four long-term-care claims was denied in 2005, according to the state.
Private Medicare Plans Too Costly-US. Lawmaker (March 21, 2007)
About 8.3 million of Medicare's roughly 43 million beneficiaries, or 19 percent, have private plans, according the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Overall, CMS pays 12 percent more for the private plans compared to traditional coverage and 19 percent more for private fee-for-service. According to the CBO (Congressional Budget Office), paying private insurers at the same rate as the government plan could save $65 billion between 2008 and 2012. Savings from more equal payments should instead "be redirected to provide low- and middle-income people with Medicare (with) protection against unaffordable out-of-pocket expenses," Medicare Rights Center President Robert Hayes said in a statement.
Demand for Health-Care Workers Still Rising/Nursing Positions Top List, But Pharmacists, Other Jobs Also Needed in Area Hospitals (March 11, 2007)
The need for more health-care professionals will continue to grow as baby boomers retire and new technologies emerge. Part of the demand stems from the fact that the health-care work force is aging. More people are retiring than there are people coming into the field. Demand for professionals is increasing. Even those who want to get into health care are finding it difficult due to a lack of medical instructors.
Bargaining Down That CT Scan Is Suddenly Possible
(February 27, 2007)
Receiving a bill from a hospital or a doctor’s office can often be a taunting/nightmarish experience—with ridiculously high charges for everything from surgery to a box of tissue. The bad news is that doctor’s offices and hospitals usually refuse to
tell their pricing until after the service/procedure. This leaves patients feeling stuck in a helpless situation where they have to fork over hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars after the services. With cuts in Medicare funding forcing elderly persons to pay more out of their pockets, elderly persons as a group are also victims of this scheme.
However, a growing number of companies will research the billed prices to determine what the prices should be. The article describes the hospital/doctor office billing culture and the way claims adjusters can help save hundreds—if not thousands—of dollars in medical expenses.
Health Care for
America
: A Proposal for Guaranteed, Affordable Health Care for All (January 11,
2007)
Over the last generation, citizens have grown more economically
insecure even as the nation's economy has expanded. The
US
spends much more as a share of its economy on health care than any other
nation. Yet all this spending
has failed to buy citizens the one thing that health insurance is supposed
to provide: health security. John Hacker’s proposal, Health Care for
America, may be a guide for health security that is now sorely lacking,
guaranteeing affordable, and giving quality health care to all. Without
upending our system, the proposal outlines how everyone would be covered,
where risk is spread broadly and costs would be controlled and quality
improved.
Arnold-Care
is a Bad Deal (January 16,
2007)
Gov. Schwarzenegger’s proposal for a universal health plan places
the pursuit of private profits ahead of increased access, affordable care
and enhanced quality of health care for Californians.
His plan will reinforce and expand the private market in health
care, giving hundreds of millions of dollars to insurance companies.
While the proposal requires all
California
residents to purchase insurance coverage, the plan does not limit premium
costs, set standards or assure that plans have comprehensive or uniform
benefits.
Health
Insurance Coverage of the Near Elderly, 1994-2005 (January 2007)
The issues of health insurance coverage for baby boomers will become
increasingly important as employers
continue to cutback or eliminate retiree health benefits. According to
findings from EBRI (Employee Benefit Research Institute), the average
individual savings needed by retirees to cover health insurance premiums
during the 10-year period before becoming eligible for Medicare have been
estimated to range between $51,000 and $193,000. The erosion of retiree health insurance and amendments to the Medicare
system may ultimately change retirement patterns.
Employees nearing retirement age may more likely postpone their
decision to retire and keep working to maintain some form of health
insurance coverage and affordable health care services that are not
covered by insurance.
Why
Some Patients Get No Help After Brain Injury (January 8, 2007)
Strokes, traumatic brain injury and brain hemorrhages disable
approximately nine million people in the
US
every year. Over half suffer damage to their memory, mental processing or
behavior. However many of these individuals do not receive cognitive
therapy, a medical treatment that tries to re-teach injured parts of the
brain how to perform basic functions, like organizing the day or tuning
out distractions. Currently,
many insurance companies do not pay for this kind of rehabilitation
leaving many patients at low-functioning capacity.
In addition, doctors may often discharge these patients to nursing
homes and therefore reduce their chance of recovery.
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DRUGS/ PHARMACEUTICALS
GAA Report
Global Action on Aging
Research Bibliography: Psychotropic Drug Use in Nursing Homes
An estimated 80% of elderly nursing home residents suffer from mental disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, depression, and anxiety and psychotic disorders. While psychotropic medications can be effective in treating mental disorders, there are concerns that overmedication of these vulnerable people can occur. Global Action on Aging is actively involved in researching and documenting the many aspects of overmedication in nursing homes. We have created a page providing links to information and studies on psychotropic drugs use in nursing homes, both in the United States and
internationally.
Reports
Report:
Low Dose Aspirin and Cognitive Function in the Women's Health Study
Cognitive Cohort
(May 2007)
A nine + year study found that a low aspirin dose does not aid woman over
65 with their memory. Results showed no significant differences in
cognitive performance between those who had taken aspirin and those who
had taken the placebo.
Articles
Antipsychotic Drugs Raise Death Rates in Elderly (June 5, 2007)
Doctors increasingly prescribe antipsychotic drugs for the elderly to reduce and prevent their behavioral problems, such as dementia. However, older persons are often vulnerable and experience harmful side-effects of such drugs, raising their risk of death. The causes of death come typically from pneumonia and heart problems, according to a new study. "Patients and their families need to talk to their doctors about the potential risks and benefits, and this study would suggest only using these drugs when other less risky approaches have been exhausted."
Doctors,
Legislators Resist Drugmakers' Prying Eyes (May 22 2007)
Increasingly,
pharmaceutical companies track how doctors prescribe drugs to their
patients. The companies target these doctors with a sale pitch, oftentimes
offering them free meals or gifts. This practice, however, is now coming
under fire. Some doctors have said that releasing information regarding
prescriptions to pharmaceutical companies invades their privacy and drug
companies simply want them to prescribe more expensive drugs.
Pharmaceutical firms, on the other hand, insist they are simply educating
physicians and other health officials about new drugs. Although the
American Medical Association continues to assist pharmaceutical companies
in gathering data on prescription habits of doctors around the country,
some doctors oppose it. Legislators in various states are also looking for
ways to ban such practices. Thus far, no legislation has been passed
regarding the issue.
Senate Blocks Bid to Allow Drug Imports (May 7, 2007)
In a triumph for the pharmaceutical industry, the Senate on Monday killed a drive to allow consumers to buy prescription drugs from abroad at a significant savings over domestic prices. On a 49-40 vote, the Senate required the administration to certify the safety and effectiveness of imported drugs before they can be imported, a requirement that officials have said they cannot meet. "Well, once again the big drug companies have proved that they are the most powerful and best financed lobby in Washington," said Sen. David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican.
Doctors' Ties to Drug Companies Called Commonplace
(April 25, 2007)
Most physicians (94 percent) reported some type of relationship with the pharmaceutical industry. Most of these relationships involved receiving food in the workplace (83 percent) or receiving drug samples (78 percent). "We know that these relationships have benefits and risks, and we know that they benefit the companies that are involved, and we know from our data that they benefit doctors," said study author Eric G. Campbell, an assistant professor of health care policy at the Institute for Health Policy at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. "The real question is to what extent do these relationships benefit patients, and the answer is, we don't know.”
Fighting The Pharma Goliath (April 5, 2007)
Following the House’s approval of a bill empowering Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices, large pharmaceutical companies have flooded TV stations with ads claiming that people will lose money if Medicare negotiates lower drug prices because they are inefficient. They also have flooded Washington with over 1,000 lobbyists and $155 million dollars in campaigning against the bill, on which the Senate votes later this month.
Report: AARP 2006 Prescription Drug
Study with Hispanics and African Americans (April 2007)
AARP’s telephone survey examined the experiences of 2,000 Hispanics and
African Americans in paying for prescription drugs and their interest in
legislation addressing pharmaceutical issues. This report highlights the
impact of employer-provided insurance, government-funded coverage or no
insurance coverage. Among all respondents, 61 percent of Hispanics and
68 percent of African Americans expressed concern about their ability to
pay for prescription medications over the next two years.
FDA Would Limit Input of Doctors Paid by Drug Firms: $50,000 is Set as Cutoff (March 22, 2007)
Amid disclosures that the pharmaceutical industry has funneled millions of dollars to leading physicians, the Food and Drug Administration yesterday moved to bar scientists from serving as advisers to the agency if they have financial ties to drug and medical-device companies exceeding $50,000. Congressional critics and consumer advocates have long sought to eliminate or diminish the role of scientists who receive funding from drug companies and medical-device makers from decisions that directly affect those firms' products. The policy changes will take effect later this year.
Wyeth Says Alzheimer Program a Justified Long-Shot (March 20, 2007)
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 5 million people in the US have this disease, up about 10 percent from the group's previous estimate in 2000. As the disease continues to affect millions of patients and families, there appears to be no treatment in sight. Certain drug makers such as Wyeth believe that they “will probably fail” in its goal to develop treatments but the risk is justified by the potentially big payoffs to society and to the company.
Brand Name Drug Prices Soar for US Seniors
– AARP (March 6, 2007)
According to a recent AARP report, prices for the most popular drugs
used by senior citizens rose about 6.2 percent, nearly twice the 3.2
percent rate of inflation for 2006. These findings further support the
case that the federal government should negotiate drug prices. "We need
to send a loud and clear message to the pharmaceutical industry that
Americans cannot afford to continue to pay the highest prices for
prescription drugs in the world," said David Sloane, senior managing
director for government relations. For full report, click here:
http://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/health/dd154_drugprices.pdf
F.D.A.
Widens Safety Reviews of New Drugs (January 31, 2007)
After much criticism, the F.D.A.(Food and Drug Administration)
recently announced a series of initial steps toward improving the safety
of the drug supply in the
US. Still, the plan does little to
address a problem that nearly all agree underlies many of its woes: a
chronic shortage of government money. The agency gets about $400 million
of its $1.9 billion budget from fees assessed on drug makers. Under a
formula negotiated with the drug industry, the FDA is restricted from
using this money to track the safety of approved drugs. Whether those
fees are enough, whether there should be any strings attached to them
and whether that money should come from
drug makers at all has become the subject of fierce debate.
An Old
Cholesterol Remedy is New Again (January 23, 2007)
Last month, Pfizer officials stopped drug trials on their most
promising experimental drug, torecetrapid, after investigators discovered
that it actually increased heart problems and death rates.
This blockbuster drug was supposed to help those with heart disease by
increasing HDL, or good cholesterol. However, many should know that
an effective HDL booster already exists. It is niacin, the ordinary B
vitamin. Despite its effectiveness, few scientists have explored this
treatment until now. “Here you have a drug that was about as effective
as the early statins, and it just never caught on,” said Dr. B. Greg
Brown from the
University
of
Washington
in
Seattle
. “It’s a mystery to me. But if you’re a drug company, I guess you
can’t make money on a vitamin."
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HEALTHY LIVING
Add Bone, Drop Pounds (May 20, 2007)
Women know that calcium protects against osteoporosis. But in a study published in Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers found that calcium and vitamin D helps to avoid weight gain. Calcium appears to increase fat metabolism and bind to small amounts of dietary fat
in the intestine, preventing its absorption and vitamin D helps with weight maintenance. Taking calcium and vitamin D are good weight controls for postmenopausal women, who usually gain weight as they age.
Report: Women,
Health and Aging: Building a Statewide Movement (May 2007)
A growing number of older Californians live in
poverty: seniors of color are three times more likely to be poor than
their white counterparts and three out of four low-income seniors are
women. This three part report looks at the demographic, cultural,
financial, policy, and systemic issues that collectively impact access
to care and economic security for this population.
Gene Linked to Aging Is Studied (May 2, 2007)
Researchers say they have found a key gene that helps to regulate the process by which extremely low-calorie diets can extend life spans. The finding is an early step in the quest to understand the genetic mechanisms that lead to aging. Scientists hope that understanding these processes will yield new drugs that delay the onset of age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer's and cancer.
The Way We Age Now (April 30, 2007)
As the health system in the US cuts health care spending, long-term care and geriatricians are the first to go. The problem of shortage of geriatricians is in part due to budget cuts and insurers refusing to cover geriatric care, but also because it is
considered an unappealing profession. Most of medicine is about curing diseases and illnesses and helping people live and concentrate on youthfulness, whereas geriatricians have the unpleasant job of dealing with death and the failings of our bodies. They treat the elderly by helping them live independently and comfortably for as long as they can. The expected life span does not necessarily increase, but the focus on disabilities and other illnesses helps improve the twilight years. In an aging society that still idolizes youth, we have to learn to accept the limitations of our aging if we are to lead comfortable lives.
Reversing Alzheimer's Memory Loss May Be
Possible (April 29, 2007)
People who might be affected by Alzheimer’s were advised of ways to stimulate their brain, for example, by reading or playing a musical instrument. A team of neuroscientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that some patients could recover lost long-term memories to a certain extent. Besides a drug treatment to encourage growth of brain nerve cells, mental stimulation would help to regain seemingly lost memories. According to the researchers, “the memories probably remained in storage but could not be accessed or retrieved due to the brain damage.”
Trends in Health Status
and Health Care Use Among Older Women (2007)
Older women face distinctly different challenges to maintain their health
compared with older men. Older women live longer, develop different
chronic conditions, and face more functional limitations than do older
men. Governments must take older women’s health care needs into account
in shaping policies. They must make provision for financing and providing
for older women’s health care, specifically long-term care, a critical
issue for older women. Since fewer women have a spouse upon whom they can
rely for caregiving, they depend on other informal caregivers, have a
stronger need for community-based services and must often get formal care
services
The Backlash
to Botox (April 6, 2007)
For the first time, Hollywood's addiction to cosmetic surgery is
affecting how television gets made: that’s the “TV's Botox crisis.” TV
channel producers recently started to hold auditions in foreign
countries like England and Canada where Botox is less common. Star
Melanie Griffith has even been said to be "uncastable" due to her
extra-plump lips and rigid-looking upper face. Paradoxically, Botox
interferes on how actors can act; playing; their face and expressions
become completely frozen. This must explain the success of TV shows like
“The New Adventures of Old Christine: “an aging divorcee who struggles
to grow older with dignity.”
Memory-Related Diseases Increase—There Are More People with Alzheimer’s
(March 28, 2007)
(Article in Spanish)
More than 5 million Americans are victims of Alzheimer’s disease, an increase of more than 10% in the last 5 years. Age is the biggest factor in this increase; Baby Boomers are getting older and they are a big sector in the overall American population. If there is not enough research done to stop or control this disease, the number of persons with Alzheimer’s will increase to at least 16 million by 2050.
Boomers Can't Kick Drug Abuse Habits
(April 5, 2007)
As the baby boomers hit their senior years, they are taking with them their old habits such as drug abuse. According to Scripps Howard, boomers made up half of all people nationwide who died of drug-related causes in 2003, mostly from overdoses.
The Secret to Longevity: Aspirins Prolongs Women’s Lifespan
(March 27, 2007)
(Article in Spanish)
A study reveals that women who take 1 to 14 aspirins every week reduce their risk of dying from cardiovascular-related diseases by 25%. However, some doctors say more studies need to be done before encouraging all women to take aspirin on a regular basis. Doctors also say that aspirin will not reduce the chance of developing other diseases, like cancer. Nevertheless, cardiovascular-related diseases are rather common and damaging, so aspirin can be a good preventative measure for elderly women.
Report:
Cross-National Research on Aging (March 2007)
In nearly all regions of the world, the population ages 65 and older is growing faster than the total population. Growth in the elderly population relative to other age groups challenges existing health services, family relationships, social security, and pension programs. To help address these challenges, the Behavioral and Social Research Program of the National Institute on Aging (NIA) sponsors a wide range of data collection efforts and research related to population aging. This Research Brief highlights cross-national datasets partially or fully funded by NIA, how these data are used to address key research questions, and where people can go for more information.
Report:
Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures (2007)
Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures is a comprehensive statistical abstract of US data on Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia. The report contains statistical information about Alzheimer’s disease, including the overall number of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease, and estimates by specific age groups and for each state; projections of the future growth of Alzheimer’s; the number of deaths due to the disease; costs to federal and state government, businesses and individuals and their families; the use of services in the home, hospitals, nursing homes and other care settings; the impact on Medicare and Medicaid; the number of family caregivers; the hours of care provided; the economic value of unpaid care for the United States and each state; and the personal impact of caregiving on caregivers.
Over 5M Living with
Alzheimer's (March 20, 2007)
More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease, a 10 percent increase since the last Alzheimer's Association estimate five years ago—and a count that supports the long-forecast dementia epidemic as the population grays. Age is the biggest risk factor, and the nation is on track for skyrocketing Alzheimer's once baby boomers start turning 65 in 2011. Already, one in eight people 65 and older have the illness, and nearly one in two people over 85.
Boomer Health Debated (March 19, 2007)
People in their early to mid-50s are reporting more health problems than people that age had described previously. Significantly, fewer such middle-aged people in 2004 than in 1992 rated their health highly. More identified pain as a regular problem. And a higher percentage had trouble climbing stairs or walking a few blocks. The findings for the 51-56 age group ran counter to assumptions about the nation's health, especially that disability among the elderly was declining. It’s not clear whether there's an actual health decline among boomers born between 1948 and 1953 or just a decline in perceptions. The federal data are not correlated with any actual health evaluations.
Nine Trends in Global Aging Present Challenges, Says US Study
(March 16, 2007)
While the world has successfully learned to live longer, this longevity presents many new challenges that will require cooperative planning by the world's nations, says a new report, Why Population Aging Matters: A Global Perspective, which was presented on March 15, at the Summit on Global Aging, hosted by the U.S. State Department in collaboration with the National Institute on Aging. The report describes nine global trends associated with global aging: an aging population, an increasing life expectancy, a rising number of the oldest old, a growing burden of chronic and non-communicable diseases, aging and population decline, a changing family structure, shifting patterns of work and retirement, evolving social insurance systems, and emerging economic challenges.
Report: ICAN 2:
Investigating Caregivers’ Attitudes and Needs (February 2007)
What are the needs and attitudes of caregivers for Alzheimer’s
patients? This telephone survey study, underwritten by Forest
Pharmaceuticals, examines obstacles to diagnosis, Alzheimer’s disease
attitudes, caregiver needs, access to support and advocacy groups,
personal support system of caregivers, living situation and nursing home
possibility, treatment history, and caregiver and patient profiles. It
also looks at respondents’ familiarity with a broad range of medications
prescribed for Alzheimer’s patients.
Report: Trends in Health Status and Health Care Use among Older Women
(March 2007)
When studying health trends among elderly persons, it is important to understand that older women face very different health-related challenges than older men. Older women have a longer life expectancy; develop different kinds of health complications, and face social issues that affect health care for them. The US Department of Health and Human Services did intensive research on elderly women’s health situation. Dr. Kristen Robinson reports their findings, covering everything from marital status, osteoporosis, long-term care, and racial minorities, among other topics.
Growing Older, and Adjusting to the Dark (March
13, 2007)
The typical 50-year-old driver needs twice as much light to see as well after dark as a 30-year-old. Traffic deaths are three times greater at night than during the day, though only 20 percent of driving is done after dark. Fatigue and alcohol are two important causes, but experts say the biggest variable is darkness. Ninety percent of a driver’s reaction depends on vision. Apparently, human engineering does not permit us to see very well in the dark. Nightlights at home help prevent tripping and serious falls.
At the End of Life, a Racial Divide (March 12, 2007)
Studies reveal that African Americans and other minorities are more likely than whites to want, and get, more aggressive care as death nears and are less likely to use hospice and palliative-care services to ease their suffering. As a result, they are more likely to experience more medicalized deaths, dying more frequently in the hospital, in pain, on ventilators and with feeding tubes. Some experts believe that social and economic circumstances, along with religion, determine why terminally ill patients choose more aggressive treatment.
Report: The State of Aging and Health in
America 2007 Report (March 2007)
The CDC (Center for Disease Control) recently released a report
presenting the most current national data available on 15 key health
indicators for older adults related to health status, health behaviors,
preventive care and screening, and injuries. The “State-by-State Report
Card” provides similar information for each of the 50 states and the
District of Columbia, and enables states to see where they are on each
indicator as well as in relation to other states. The report includes
model intervention programs and recommendations for policymakers, health
care providers, and older adults to ensure not just longer, but
healthier, lives.
Report: Will People be Healthy Enough
to Work Longer? (March 2007)
The median retirement age for men today is 63. Given the scheduled drop
in Social Security replacement rates, increased longevity, and the
relatively low balances in 401(k) accounts, this Center for Retirement
Research report suggests that the average retirement age be moved back
to 66 (where it was in the mid-60’s) or even older, that is, if the
health of workers allows. The answer is yes: the health of older workers
seems to be as good as it was forty years ago; moreover, jobs are much
less physically demanding than they were in the past. Two important
issues not addressed in this brief are whether the jobs will be there
for older workers and the challenge presented by the 15 to 20 percent of
the older population for whom work will be impossible.
Parkinson’s Disease: Worries about an Increase by 2030 (February 11, 2007)
(Article in Spanish)
Research at the Medical Center of the University of Rochester predicts that in 2030 the number of people who suffer from Parkinson’s Disease will increase. In some countries, the incidence of the disease will double. Why? Because human life expectancy is getting longer. Researchers are worried because in some countries, such as Bolivia, people who suffer from Parkinson never visit a doctor.
The
Greatest Generation Learns About Great Safe Sex (February 14, 2007)
Sex education goes beyond junior high school classrooms these days.
Sex educators can now be found talking in retirement facilities and
nursing homes around the country. Research studies have shown an increase
in the number of older men and women engaging in sexual activities as well
as having in sex with more partners, in homosexual relations and in
getting the HIV infection. Sex education can help older persons learn how
to maintain healthy sexual lifestyles and how to protect themselves from
sexually transmitted diseases.
Report:
Investigating Caregivers' Attitudes and Needs (February 9, 2007)
Although Alzheimer’s Disease affects millions of people, it is still a disease that is hard to discover, a challenge to deal with as a victim and as a caregiver, and an incurable disease that degenerates its host over time. Harris Interactive, Inc. conducted an intensive research on caregivers’ attitudes and feelings towards care giving including access to support groups, knowledge and education. This report covers four main topics:
1. Obstacles that may have delayed getting a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease
2. Attitudes towards and knowledge of Alzheimer’s disease
3. Access to support and advocacy groups
4. Impact of care giving responsibilities on the caregiver’s own family and life
It also includes a survey for caregivers to complete. The survey can yield a better picture of how Alzheimer’s Disease, from diagnosis to the person’s death, impacts on caregivers and how to help them assist those with Alzheimer’s Disease.
Loneliness
Link with Alzheimer's (February 6, 2007)
A
US
research study shows a link between loneliness and Alzheimer’s. Those
who felt lonely were twice as likely to be prone to Alzheimer’s as those
who did not feel lonely. However, autopsies conducted as part of the
research on those who had passed away showed no physical signs that
loneliness had exacerbated the condition of Alzheimer’s in the patients.
More research is needed to see exactly how loneliness increases the risk
of Alzheimer’s.
Report: Is It Time to Redesign Hospice? End-of-Life Care at the User Interface (January 2007)
Can hospice programs be made more usable? Or do they need to be redesigned? Hospice provides support and services that includes controlling symptoms, relieving pain, and working through the grieving process of patients and families coping with terminal illness. David J. Casarett illustrates how to make hospice more accessible and approachable and how to increase hospice use for those who would benefit from it.
Surviving the Cold, or Even the Not So Cold
(January 9, 2007)
Hypothermia, a very serious condition for people of all ages, impacts children and elderly persons most. This article explains the danger of hypothermia, its symptoms, how to treat it, and how to prevent it from happening. The National Institute of Health
(NIH) wrote an article on hypothermia among elderly people. This important article can be found here:
Hypothermia: A Cold Weather Hazard
Yet Another Worry for Those Who Believe the Glass Is Half-Empty
(January 9, 2007)
“Think positive!” is a somewhat overused statement. However that phrase could save your life. New studies indicate that people who are pessimists are more likely to die of heart disease—a
lot more likely—than those who are optimists. Dr. Friedman talks about the possible factors that increase a pessimist’s chance of dying of a heart disease in this article. Read the article and be
positive!
Is It Time to Redesign Hospice? End-of-Life
Care at the User Interface
(January 2007)
Can hospice programs be made more usable?
Or do they need to be redesigned? Hospice provides support
and services that includes controlling symptoms, relieving pain, and
working through the grieving process to patients and families coping with
terminal illness. David J.
Casarett illustrates how to make hospice more accessible and
approachable and how to increase hospice use for those who would benefit
from it.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: What People 50 and Older Are Using and Discussing with Their Physicians (January 2007)
Do adults age 50 and older discuss the use of complementary and alternative medicine ( CAM ) with their physicians? AARP and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) at the National Institutes of Health partnered to measure complementary and alternative medicine use among this population and understand the communication practices between patients and their physicians to help answer this question. CAM includes such products and practices as herbal supplements, meditation, chiropractic care, and acupuncture.
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TRADE UNIONS AND HEALTH ISSUES
Health Care Battle Rages On As Unions Protest Over Cuts (March 15, 2007)
Thousands marched Thursday in Manhattan to protest Governor Eliot Spitzer’s proposed billion-dollar health care spending cuts. Protesters marched from 26th Street and Third Avenue to the governor’s Manhattan office at 40th Street spreading their disapproval of his budget cuts. The governor is proposing to cut $1.2 billion in health care costs from the state budget. He says special interests have taken advantage of government funding and wants money to go to community-based health care centers.
Federal
Aid Does Little for Free Trade's Losers (March 1, 2007)
A federal
health-insurance subsidy, partly created for laid off workers in
industries hurt by imports, is getting limited use. More than four years
after The Tax Health Coverage Credit program began, just 11% of those
potentially eligible for the subsidy are taking it. The majority of these
workers and their families no longer have healthcare coverage since they
cannot afford the high premium costs. However, laid-off maintenance
mechanic Larry Kenny, 61, had to take the tax credit largely because his
wife has lupus. Kenny is now left with only $200 in savings. His
difficulties illustrate the short-comings of compensation
programs and the debate over free trade and the globalization of
business.
Wal-Mart and a
Union
Unite, at Least on Health Policy (February 7, 2007)
An unlikely meeting between H. Lee Scott Jr., the chief
executive of Wal-Mart, and Andrew L. Stern, president of the Service
Employees International Union (SEIU), about health care demonstrates the
mounting concern over coverage and costs. Both Stern and Scott want to
provide affordable health insurance in the
US
Wal-Mart, which
insures fewer than half its workers, sees that failure to provide its
workforce with adequate health care smears its image and business. SEIU,
one of the country’s biggest unions, has called affordable health
insurance the No. 1 priority for its members.
Managing
Now Someone Else Has to Tell Retirees 'No' (January 29, 2007)
The United Steelworkers Union and Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
recently agreed to a proposal that the company would make a one-time
payment for retiree health benefits that would be put into a trust. A
committee consisting of members that the Steelworkers designate as well as
independent members jointly selected by Goodyear and the union would
govern the committee. It would
become responsible for managing the trust's assets and maintaining the
benefit programs. More
companies are considering this approach. However, concerns remain.
Will such trusts be sufficiently funded to cover estimated future
retiree medical costs?
UAW May Run Some Retiree Benefits (January 23, 2007)
The United Auto Workers may decide to take on managing health coverage for GM and Ford Motor Co. workers. General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. have proposed to transfer their health-care liability to a union-managed fund in order to reorganize the US auto industry without resorting to bankruptcy-court protection, as many other unionized steelmakers and airlines have done. Such a deal would implement a union-controlled retiree fund, filled with cash, stock and other assets and would remain solvent through the reorganization. GM and Ford would be following Goodyear’s example that has already transferred health care liabilities to its union. But the plan with UAW remains unclear, especially whether the union would receive sufficient funds to support union workers’ health benefits throughout their retirement.
Unlikely
Allies Advocate Healthcare Overhaul (January 16, 2007)
Since more State Governors are considering proposals for universal
health coverage, powerful businesses and union groups are coming together
to advocate for extending insurance coverage. Additionally, some private
health insurance companies are joining doctors' organizations and
health-activist groups to create universal coverage plans. Major questions
remain about how a healthcare overhaul program would work, including how
it would be financed and who would participate. However, there appears to
be a real surge toward health reform and a broad agreement among
businesses, unions and others to push a universal health plan through
Congress.
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