We at Basic American Comfort.com would like to bring to your attention the most interesting headlines from the latest long-term care news this week.

To Pay for Health Care, Obama to Seek Higher Tax on Top Earners

By Jackie Calmes and Robert Pear. The New York Times. Feb 26, 2009

 

Alongside a push to raise taxes for those in the highest income

brackets, President Obama is suggesting bigger discounts or rebates be

given by drug companies to Medicaid in order to offset health care

initiative costs. Currently drug manufacturers give a discount equal to

least 15.1 percent off manufacturer price to Medicaid, but President

Obama is pushing for that to be raised to 22.1 percent. Obama also

believes that by utilizing a new competitive bidding system for private

providers under the Medicare advantage plan, he can save $175 billion

over a ten-year period.

 

Medicare cuts, tax hike on wealthy to pay for healthcare plan

By Noam Levey, Los Angeles Times. Feb 25, 2009 5:57 PM EST

 

In order to bring health care to the 47 million Americans who don’t have

health insurance, President Obama has proposed a $634 billion tax hike

for wealthy Americans and trimming $316 billion from Medicare over the

next 10 years. Private insurance plans catering to the aging population

could possibly be the eventual focus of these Medicare cuts, though

other proposals are being discussed.

 

Some states switching dollars as stimulus arrives

By Kathy Barks Hoffman, Associated Press. Chicago Tribune. Feb 26, 2009

 

The government stimulus Medicaid money that has been sent out to each

state will help free up state money to subsidize other programs.

Michigan received $464 million to help with the more than 50,000

low-income people added to the Medicaid rolls in just the last four

months. Arizona and New Hampshire plan to fill large budget shortfalls

with the money that will be freed up by their portions. California had

the largest state deficit and will likely use the money for the general

fund.

 

Senate approves Solis as Labor Department secretary, igniting unionizing

debate

McKnight’s Long-Term Care News & AssistedLiving. Feb 26, 2009

 

Upon the approval of Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA) for the position of

secretary of the Labor Department, the Boston Globe reported that

Americans now “have a secretary of labor who represents working people,

not wealthy CEOs.” Solis holds a pro-union stance. At the same time

Solis was confirmed into the position, Republican lawmakers introduced a

measure called the Secret Ballot Protection Act which would require

unions to use secret ballots in union elections. It is also expected

that the Employee Free Choice Act of 2007 will be reintroduced, which

would require employers to recognize a labor union exclusively through

the “card-check” process, thereby amending the National Labor Relations

Act.

 

US health insurance gap to widen without action-CBO

By Donna Smith, Reuters. Feb 26, 2009

 

According to Douglas Elmendorf, Congress’ top budget analyst, number of

uninsured Americans could rise from 10 million to 54 million over the

next 10 years if lawmakers don’t enact policies very soon to expand

coverage and control costs.

 

Medicare Spending Still Varies Widely by Region

By Reed Abelson, New York Times. Feb 25, 2009

 

In regions where quality imaging equipment is available and hospital

beds are plentiful, doctors drive up Medicare spending by ordering more

tests or putting patients in the hospital. Dr. Elliott S. Fisher, the

director of the Center of Health Policy Research at the Dartmouth

Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice said, “The incentives

are there for growth.” He also pointed out that if President Obama is

serious about reigning in health care costs, the ways in which doctors

are paid for services and rewarded for their efforts need to be

addressed and redirected.

 

House Passes Spending Bill, and Critics Are Quick to Point Out Pork

By Robert Pear, New York Times. Feb 26, 2009

 

Just one week after the passing of one of the largest spending bills in

our nation’s history, the House passed a $410 billion omnibus spending

bill on Wednesday filled with earmarked items and pet projects proposed

by Democrat and Republican lawmakers alike. The bill passed the House in

a 245-to-178 vote.

 

Survey: Health care cost keeps the doctor away

By Mike Mokrzycki, Associated Press. Feb 26, 2009

 

According to a recent survey, one in four Americans said that they had

done without needed health care because of costs. Among the types of

care skipped were surgeries, doctor visits to follow up on chronic

illnesses, dental visits, postponing medical tests and treatments,

leaving prescriptions unfilled or cutting back on medication dosages.

Many also relied on home remedies or over-the-counter medications

instead of visiting the doctor.

 

SEIU head Andy Stern predicts quick action on health care, card check

The Oval. USA Today. Feb 25, 2009 11:27 AM

 

SEIU Head Andy Stern has said there are 60 senators who support the

Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) or who would vote to stop a filibuster,

though the executive director of a business group called the Workforce

Fairness Institute, Katie Packer says she doubts Stern’s claim. GOP

Reps. Tom Price of Georgia, John Kline of Minnesota and Buck McKeon of

California, and Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina have introduced the

Secret Ballot Protection Act which would allow workers to vote with

secret ballots when deciding whether or not to unionize.

 

CA: Big jump in Alzheimer’s cost expected in state

By Victoria Colliver, San Francisco Chronicle. Feb 26, 2009

 

According to a report released today by the Alzheimer’s Association, the

costs associated with caring for California residents with Alzheimer’s

is expected to increase by 96 percent over the next 20 years. Over that

time the number of state Alzheimer patients could double with an

anticipated price tag of $98.8 billion.

 

FL: Attorney General McCollum, Secretary Benson Release Annual Medicaid

Fraud Report

By Emily Pantelides, CBS 12, Tallahassee. Feb 25, 2009 6:27 PM

 

The annual Medicaid fraud report was released today showing that the

combined efforts of Florida agencies prevented more than $100 million in

Medicaid overpayments in the last 3 years and $56.7 million in recovered

funds during the 2007-08 fiscal year from civil penalties, fines and

court judgments.

 

FL: Broward County, others losing millions from HMO-style care in

Medicaid program

By Bob LaMendola, South florida sun-Sentinel. Feb 26, 2009

 

Florida county health departments could lose $46 million a year if the

HMO-style Medicaid reform experiment were expanded state-wide because

the program changes the way they are paid. This could actually cripple

the system instead of improving it as was the hope.

 

GA: Assisted living complex erupts in flames

Several injured, one critically burned

WTOC, Savannah. Feb 25, 2009

 

NY: Nursing homes for the rest of us

By Jane Gross. New York Times. Feb 26, 2009

 

Innovations that cater to the dignity as well as the growing needs of

the aging population make nursing homes far more desirable to the

upcoming generations.

 

RI: RI receives first stimulus payment

$93.5 million meant for Medicaid spending

By Darren Soens. WPRI, Providence. Feb 26, 2009

 

As the government sends out much needed money to states, it also sends

the warning that the money must be spent wisely if states do not wish to

lose it.