Tag Archives for Medicare

Seniors Must Educate Themselves to Push for Political Policy Reforms   

Published in the Pawtucket Times on July 22, 2002

Did you go to the Bristol 4th of July parade?

Or perhaps were you one of hundreds of people who gathered at Slater Mill Historic Site to hear U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy’s announce his bid for re-election.

If you attended one of these events or one of the hundreds of others scattered throughout the Ocean State, you probably ended up meeting gubernatorial, legislative, statewide or congressional candidates who were seeking high visibility with voters and potential votes from old friends and new acquaintances.

The clock is ticking.

With about seven weeks before the Sept. 10 primary, Rhode Island political candidates are scrambling to fill up their calendars with the dates of hundreds of “must-attend” events.

Political wisdom tells us that these candidates are more responsive to attending coffees, festivals and events that will attract older voters. This is because seniors as a group tend to get to the polls more often than other younger demographic groups. Years of research on voting trends bear this out.

According to the Bureau of the Census, in the 1996 presidential election, voter turnout among Americans 65 and older was 67 percent, only 10 percent lower than their registration rate of 77 percent. In that presidential election cycle, voter registration and turnout for Americans 50 and over was about the same as for Americans over age 65 (64.4 percent). Yet only 31 percent of voters between the ages of 18 and 20 cast a vote in the presidential election of 1996.

Can this trend take hold for the 2002 Rhode Island elections? You bet.

The question is – are federal and state policy makers prepared to confront the changes that will occur with an aging America?

In the next Congress, both Republican and Democratic leadership must work closely together to develop sound aging policy initiatives.

Federal lawmakers must quickly come to grips with how to assist seniors to pay for costly long-term care while ensuring quality services are provided.  They must continue their efforts to hammer out a bipartisan law to make pharmaceutical drugs more affordable and to keep both Medicare and Socially Security financially solvent.

At the state level, the Gray Panthers of Rhode Island working in collaboration with the Rhode Island Forum on Aging and the Rhode Island Minority Elder Task Force, move to educate senior voters about state and federal aging issues. Funded by the Rhode Island Foundation, the Senior Agenda/Election 2002 project will identify priority state and federal aging issues, solicit candidate positions through a questionnaire and hold four regional forums to further discuss positions.

Become an educated voter. Learn more about the aging issues of important to you by carefully reading the political candidate’s positions in the written materials to be made available to you by the Senior Agenda/Election 2002 project.

At coffees, festivals and political events that you attend before the September primary and up to the November election, tell any gubernatorial, statewide or legislative candidates you meet to make further reforms net year to the state’s pharmaceutical program (RIPAE). Tell them about the need for assisted living facilities for moderate and low-income seniors and affordable housing options for frail and low-income seniors.

With the backdrop of the November election, Rhode Island lawmakers and Congress must continue their efforts to develop and implement programs and services especially geared to an aging society.

Aging as a policy and political issue will ultimately have an impact on every generation from today’s seniors, their aging baby boomers children, and finally to their young grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Being an educated voter, especially one who consistently votes, is likely to gain points with a political candidate and with those who ultimately are elected to office.

Inaction on RIPAE Proposals Would Be a State Tragedy

Published in the Pawtucket Times on May 20, 2002

Lawmakers are rushing to finalize the state’s business, hoping to adjourn as early as the end of May.

With thousands of proposals in the legislative hopper, each representative was directed by House leadership to choose three of their own sponsored bills to push for in the Senate.

All legislative proposals that do not make the “priority” lists are as good as dead for the year.

At press time, one proposal, Pharmaceutical Assistance for the Elderly Program (RIPAE) moves closely to passage.

The House Finance Committee has put the proposal (H 7291) into the state budget article. Susan Sweet, a consultant and aging advocate said she expects full House passage of the state budget article by the end of the week.

Once passed by the House, the state budget article goes to the Senate for their consideration and approval. Sweet told All About Seniors that she believes that the Senate will quickly pass the budget, too.

With passage, the final state budget will be  forwarded to Governor Lincoln Almond.

Under H 7291, the state Department of Human Services would seek a waiver from the federal government, allowing Rhode Island to use Medicaid funding to pay for prescription drugs for low-income seniors with incomes up to $ 17,720 and couples with incomes up to $ 23,880.

The legislative proposal, authored by Lt. Governor Charles Fogarty and sponsored by Rep. Constantino and House Finance Chairman Gordon Fox, would enroll about 90 percent of the 37,000 seniors now enrolled in RIPAE. Because seniors would now qualify for prescription drug coverage under Medicaid all U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drugs would be covered not just those currently covered by RIPAE.

Seniors would pay a small copayment rather than the 40 percent co-payment currently charged.

With the passage of the state budget article, then “cleanup” begins on all legislative proposals, Sweet noted, adding that the two other RIPAE proposals have not been acted upon yet.

These legislative proposals would make prescription drugs more affordable to seniors and persons with disabilities who are not covered by the Medicaid waiver.

One bill (H 7290) would allow seniors enrolled in the RIPAE program to buy prescription drugs not currently covered by RIPAE at the discounted state price.

The other (H 7524) would allow low-income disabled persons on Social Security Disability Income who are between ages of 55 and 65 to become members of RIPAE and purchase prescription medications at the state discounted rate. Under booth, the state would be able to obtain the manufacturer’s rebate available through RIPAE.

Sweet along with other aging advocate groups, has called on the Rhode Island General Assembly to pass the three RIPAE proposals, which don’t cost the state one penny.

Not acting on them will continue a tragic trend that is well-documented in Rhode Island and nationwide.

That is, the high cost of prescription drugs forces many seniors on fixed incomes into not taking their prescribed medications at all or using only partial doses.

Moreover, noncompliance can lead to unnecessary hospitalization, nursing home admission and premature death.

Even in the shadow of a huge state budget deficit, lawmakers have the opportunity to lower the spiraling out-of-pocket costs of costs of prescription drugs, at no cost to the state.

The Ocean State is now posed to enact sound public policy that will result in no fiscal impact to state coffers.

If Congress is not ready to tackle this aging policy issue through the creation of a Medicare pharmaceutical benefit, then the Rhode Island General Assembly must take the lead and pass the three RIPAE proposals.

Simply put, it is the right thing to do on behalf of older and disabled constituents.

Aging Baby Boomers Woefully Unknowledgeable About Services

Published in Pawtucket Times on December 31, 2001

Are you a savvy shopper for services that you might one day need to purchase?

Many Americans are especially savvy when they purchase cars, electronic equipment or clothing.  But most are not when it comes to their knowledge of purchasing needed long-term care services, says a report recently released by AARP.

More than half (60 percent) of aging baby boomers age 45 plus say they are at least “somewhat familiar” with long-term care services currently available. However, they are woefully uninformed about the costs of, and funding sources for, long-term care services.

Yet with the graying of America’s population, the need for these services is expected to increase in the upcoming years. According to the 2000 U.S. Census Bureau projections, today’s 65 or older population numbers are expected to double to about 70 million in 2030, and the 85 and older population will also nearly double to about 8.5 million.  Those 85 years and older will be in the greatest need for nursing facility care.

“With the onset of the aging demographic revolution, essential that the general public not only learn about the long-term care options but understand their costs, and begin planning for their future care requirements,” said AARP CEO Bill Novelli. “Unfortunately, most of us pay little attention to the cost of such care until we or our loved ones needed it.  AARP sees  our role as informing and assisting people to make good choices.”

The AARP telephone survey asked a random sample of 1,800 Americans ages 45 and older questions  designed to measure their knowledge and understanding of the continuum of long-term care services, ranging from in-home care, assisted living to nursing home care.  In addition, to the national survey, five state-specific surveys were conducted with a random sample of 400 people age 45 and over in California, Florida, New Mexico, Washington and Wisconsin.

The survey findings suggested that aging baby boomers and seniors are generally not familiar or knowledgeable about the costs of long-term care services.  Only 15 percent could identify the cost of nursing  home care within plus or minus 20 percent of the national average of cost (about $ 4,654 per month).  Even 24 percent of those participating in the survey admitted that they did not even know the cost. And that’s not all – 51 percent estimated the cost too l ow.  So much for those savvy shoppers.

As for assisted-living facilities, one in four (27 percent) were able to come within a plus or minus 20 percent of the estimated median cost of care in an assisted-living facility while 38 percent said they did not know the national estimated median cost for assisted living per month, ranging from $ 2,000 and 2,500.

Meanwhile, survey participants continued to reveal their lack of knowledge by being generally unaware of how much an in-home visit from a skilled  nurse or aide costs.  The average Medicare reimbursement is $ 109 per a skilled nurse visit and $ 64 for a home visit by an aide.  The survey findings reported that they gave a wide range of answers, with no real consensus.  Thirty three percent even admitted they did not know the cost.

So, what about the aging baby boomers knowledge of long-term care insurance, one viable option to pay for the cost of long-term care services? About 31 percent said they have insurance that covers the cost of long-term care, when they probably didn’t.  Maybe it’s time for people to read the very small print in their insurance policies.  The Washington, D.C.-based Health Insurance Association of America estimates that only about 6 percent of Americas purchased such insurance.

Additionally, the survey respondents who said that they had insurance coverage for long-term care services were more likely to say they feel better prepared to meet the financial challenges of paying for care than those who say they do not have coverage (7 percent versus 39 percent).  This finding suggests that people who say that they long term care coverage when they do not may have a false sense of financial preparedness.

According to the new study, there is also a discrepancy between what people think Medicare and Medigap cover and what they actually cover.  More than half (55 percent), including those who say they are “very familiar” with long term care (58 percent), believe Medicare covers long-term nursing home stays.  And nearly a quarter say they would rely on Medicare to pay for such stays.  This is not the case.  Medicare does not cover long-term care nursing home stays.

The survey noted that 41 percent thought Medicare also covered assisted living care and more than 34 percent know whether it does or does not.  Medicare does not pay for assisted living.  And 57 percent correctly said that Medicare covers the cost of in-home visits from a skilled nurse. However, many respondents did not understand the difference between a home visit from a skilled nurse and a home visit by a home health aide.

More than half (52 percent) thought Medicare covers aide visits. In fact, Medicare covers only home health aide services for care that is medically necessary, not custodial care.

Kathleen S. Connell, AARP State Director, notes that this research study highlights the big gap between consumers understanding of long-term care services and its associated costs.  She adds that the findings reveal a great deal of confusion as to what long term care services are covered by Medicare and Medicaid.

“Aging baby boomers are now facing decisions regarding the purchase of long-term care services for their older parents. They will also be forced to deal with their need for services as they age and as longevity increases,” Connell says. “Consumers need to be come better informed about what Medicare and Medicaid pays for available long term care options for services that are actual costs of care.  They need to investigate different long term care insurance options, too,” she urges.

In Rhode Island there is a general recognition in agencies assisting seniors of the need for educating consumers and putting information into the hands of people who need it, Connell notes, adding that information specialists are available in local senior centers to assist in this effort.

Don’t wait until a sudden health crisis forces you to shop around for long-term care services.  Start today Become a savvy shopper by increasing your knowledge and understanding of different long-term care service options and  their associated costs.  Learn more about government financing programs, specifically Medicare and Medicaid, and private senior financing with long-term care insurance and Medigap policies.