long term care

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the federal government will announce a $1.75 billion program designed to give some Medicare beneficiaries at-home care rather than treating treatment in nursing homes. Long-term care makes up a third of all Medicaid spending and home-based care often costs less than putting a patient in a nursing home. The CMS funding will cover all expenses incurred in the first year by beneficiaries moving to home care. After that, states will receive …

Shares of long term care provider Kindred rose 10 percent on Tuesday after Wall Street learned that CMS plans a 4 percent cut in Medicare reimbursement rates in 2007. The company's stock hit a high of $27.10 before cooling yesterday. Bush administration officials were livid after it was revealed that a complete copy of an unpublished regulation was leaked to Wall Street sources four hours ahead of its scheduled release. Investors took note because the cut was far less than the previously …

Louisiana's attorney general cleared ten hospitals in the New Orleans area of wrongdoing during Hurricane Katrina, saying there was no evidence that their negligence lead to the death of patients. Attorney General Charles Foti's probe into suspicious deaths will now focus on five hospitals in the area. According to Foti's office, 140 people died at hospitals and long-term care facilities during the storm.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Tenet Healthcare, the company that operates …

Congress passed a spending bill that will lead to significant changes in the way Medicaid programs work. In a 216 to 214 vote, the House passed an appropriation bill that supporters say will save the federal government $35 billion over 5 years. Backers call the measures a bold attempt to rework a system that has "gone out of control." Among the changes: new rules for state Medicaid programs that will allow co-pays and premiums to be raised. Critics say the new rules will lead many to …

Vice President Dick Cheney cast a tie-breaking vote in the Senate this morning, giving a 51-50 victory to supporters of a package of cuts targeting Medicare and Medicaid. The legislation trims $39.7 billion from the federal budget over the next five years. Under the new rules, home healthcare payments will be frozen at their current levels. Medicare rules will also be changed to make it harder for senior citizens to shield their assets from the government when they enter long-term care …

Congress approved a package of budget cuts that would trim spending on Medicaid and Medicaid by billions over the next decade. The Congressional Budget Office said the budget bill would save the federal government $26.5 billion on Medicaid and $22.3 billion on Medicare over the next 10 years. Critics say the cuts would unfairly target the poor and other disadvantaged groups, including senior citizens. The Senate must still approve any major changes, however, so many analysts see the vote …

Ontario's Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has published data on average patient wait times at hospitals in the Canadian province, often the subject of spirited debate between backers of the free market and supporters of Canada's health system. The information, which has been made available on a new Web site, may provide ammunition for critics who think delays in wait times to see specialists are too long. Web site

A federal commission delivered its suggestions for trimming spending on Medicaid by as much as $10 billion this year to HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt on Thursday. Proposals include tighter limits on asset transfers by nursing home and long-term care patients and a suggestion that the program could save billions by allowing states to increase co-pays charged to Medicaid recipients. Under the current system, copays are capped by law at $3. The panel recommended steering patients toward …

A Florida website set up to help residents find cheaper prescription drugs may be doing more harm than good. Critics point out that Florida's website directs those looking for cheaper alternatives for many prescriptions to wholesalers like Kindred Healthcare, which sells only to the long-term care market and not to the general public. That is leading to many misdirected inquiries and a lot of frustration, observers say.

The confusion is being made worse by the fact that the state …

Nursing homes will not face cuts in their Medicare reimbursements as officials had warned they might, CMS officials announced Friday. The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare had wanted a 10 percent cut in payments. Critics have long charged that the government overpays for nursing-home care. The proposed reimbursement change will go through; however, overall payments will remain about the same. The agency will adjust the way it compensates nursing homes for their services, paying more for …