Search Results for: nursing home

I Am Scared about the Fate of Nursing Homes

January 6, 2014 by Honey Leveen Leave a Comment

It’s the end of the year, and I’m pelted with solicitations to donate to various charities. I feel bad enough having to make the visceral decision to toss most of the requests into the trash, even though I support just about all of the soliciting charities. I feel especially bad about the fate of one charity in particular: Seven Acres.

I gave a larger than average end-of-year donation to Seven Acres, the Jewish nursing home here in Houston. It has a reputation of being top notch. When I call Seven Acres top notch, I mean that only in relative terms. It is as top notch as possible for a Medicaid-accepting, money-losing nursing facility. I have heard from friends with loved ones at Seven Acres that there are too few caregivers so loved ones often wait a long time for help to come. Seven Acres staff strongly encourages families to hire their own, privately paid, additional caregiver.

Here are just a few of the blogs I’ve done on the unsustainable state of long-term care (LTC) finance in the US: /?s=nursing+home. Because Medicaid pays less than it actually costs to provide care, most facilities run in the red. This causes them to cut corners on the quantity and therefore, the quality of care they can provide.

In its annual solicitation letter, Seven Acres states that in 2013, it “provided over $8 million in charitable care to over 85% of its resident population who rely solely on inadequate Medicaid funding.”

I feel bad knowing that my donation is a drop in the bucket and will not help with Seven Acres’ over all financial problems. Increased demand will cause Seven Acres to continue to run in the red, in what may be a downward spiral. My donation will have no effect on making the changes, and reform, that will be necessary to preserve Medicaid-paid long-term care for our most vulnerable citizens. It will also have no effect on making political changes that are necessary to gain control over our country’s out-of-control Medicaid expenses.

The moral: take charge of your own future dignity and choices with a reasonably priced LTC insurance policy.

Nursing Homes Face Very Perilous Times

March 14, 2013 by Honey Leave a Comment

On March 7, 2013, the Jewish Herald-Voice reported on a potential tragedy.

In Houston, Malcomn Slatko, CEO of Seven Acres Nursing Home, and George Linial, president and CEO of LeadingAge Texas, an association of not-for-profit long-term care facilities, held a press conference to inform the public about the financial peril they face due to shortfalls in Medicaid funding.

The article reports that funding for Medicaid in Texas is the 49th lowest rate nationally. There is a big disparity between the cost of caring for Medicaid-paid nursing home patients and the true cost of caring for them. According to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services, the average Medicaid payment per patient is 17% lower than the actual cost of providing quality care for them.

85% of Seven Acres residents do not own long-term care insurance (LTCi), have exhausted their savings, and are on Medicaid.

To make matters worse, today’s nursing home resident is admitted sicker, frailer, and more needy than in years past.

Like Seven Acres, more and more nursing homes operate in the red. The article reports the inevitable result – there have already been nursing home closings.

When people have the money long-term care insurance provides to pay for care, they are often able to avoid nursing homes and get care instead at home or in good assisted-living facilities.

Nursing homes are not where anyone would choose to receive long-term care. Yet, if you refuse to plan for long-term care responsibly in advance, you might wind up in one.

Long-term Care Insurance (LTCi) Can Help Reduce Fall Rates in Nursing Homes

June 28, 2012 by Honey Leave a Comment

A new study cited in the June 28, 2012 issue of Health Day http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=665947 reported that 21% of patients admitted to nursing homes in the U.S. suffered a fall within the first 30 days. The authors noted unfamiliarity with the facility and staff contributed to these accidents. On an optimistic note, the study found “…that higher levels of staffing with certified nursing assistants reduces the risk of patient falls.”

Most nursing home care in the US is paid for by Medicaid. Medicaid accepting facilities are notoriously understaffed. Since long-term care insurance provides additional financial resources, it often enables people to avoid Medicaid-paid nursing homes with poor staffing ratios. LTCi owners are much more likely than non-LTCi owners to be able to access long-term care at home and in facilities with better staffing.

Are You on the Hook for Mom’s Nursing Home Bill?

June 26, 2012 by Honey Leave a Comment

In an article that EVERY Boomer should read, “Are You on the Hook for Mom’s Nursing Home Bill?” (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303506404577446410116857508.html), in the June 22, 2012 Wall Street Journal, Kelly Greene notes that “29 states have ‘filial support’ laws that could be used to go after patients’ adult children for unpaid long-term-care bills.” And although these laws have not been enforced in many states, “…Pennsylvania nursing homes have started routinely using the law to prod families into paying their elders’ bills or completing Medicaid paperwork on their behalf.” And it’s a good bet that other states will begin to use their laws as Medicaid funding dries up and nursing homes become increasingly desperate to cover their costs.

So just when you thought Mom and Dad would receive their long-term care (LTC) in a local nursing home at the federal government’s expense, you may be asked to ante up – conceivably for hundreds of thousands of those dollars that you were planning to support your comfortable retirement!

The answer, of course, is early planning. “The best defense against such laws, elder-law experts say, is planning,” Greene continues. ‘If your parents aren’t multimillionaires, then you need to get some advice way early, maybe when they’re 65,’ says Carolyn Rosenblatt, aSan Franciscomediator, elder-law attorney and registered nurse. ‘By the time they’re in their 80s, most people need some help. How would you pay for that?’

The best way to eliminate this potential problem entirely is to begin a discussion of LTC insurance with your parents when they reach their 50s or early 60s at the latest. And while you’re at it, you can begin planning to purchase your OWN LTC insurance so you don’t your children don’t have to suffer through the same emotional and financial stress in your later years.

Cuts in public funding cause increased nursing home admissions

May 8, 2012 by Honey Leave a Comment

Due to budget concerns, many states are cutting respite services, which provide temporary relief in the form of short-term home care workers, brief stays in residential facilities and adult day care centers, reports this April 30, 2012 article from McKnights Long-Term Care News.

These services, which are much less costly for families than skilled nursing facility stays, have been targeted by cash-strapped states.

Respite care often allows the elderly to delay or prevent being admitted to a nursing home.

These cuts will lead to more seniors being admitted to nursing homes. When people need long-term care and cannot afford to pay for it due to lack of responsible advance long-term care planning, they usually default to Medicaid. Each additional Medicaid long-term care recipient worsens budget shortfalls and crisis.

Request a Free, No-Obligation LTCi Quote

Search Results for: nursing home

I Am Scared about the Fate of Nursing Homes

Nursing Homes Face Very Perilous Times

Long-term Care Insurance (LTCi) Can Help Reduce Fall Rates in Nursing Homes

Are You on the Hook for Mom’s Nursing Home Bill?

Cuts in public funding cause increased nursing home admissions

From My Blog

Podcast Illuminates LTC Need

LTCI is Magical at Time of Need!

Testimonials