The Texas Legislature has approved major changes to the Statutory Durable Power of Attorney (SDPOA) - the form that allows you to appoint an agent to act for you in certain financial matters - making it imperative to review and consider updating your power of attorney. Legislators expanded the instrument to include important new...
Nursing Home Rules Revised
The federal rules for nursing homes that participate in Medicare and Medicaid have been comprehensively revised, affecting requirements for admission contracts, care planning, resident rights, quality of care, transfer and discharge procedures, protections against abuse neglect, and exploitation, and other aspects of facility life. Attorney Nancy Stone has co-authored a comprehensive article about...
Tax Bill Cuts Medicare, Repeals ACA, Threatens Social Security and Medicaid
Senate leaders are working to ram through a tax bill this week which will greatly increase deficits, triggering $25 billion in Medicare cuts and leading to major cuts in Social Security and Medicaid to pay for the deficit. The bill would chiefly benefit the highest earners while hurting the middle class, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the Joint Committee on Taxation, and other experts. In addition, the bill would repeal...
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Time to Enroll/Disenroll in Medicare, Marketplace Plan
Medicare's Annual Election Period began October 15th and continues through December 7th. During this time, beneficiaries enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan administered by a private insurance company may disenroll and return to the traditional Medicare program (Parts A and B) administered by the federal government, or vice versa. To switch back to the...
New Bill Guts Healthcare, Medicaid
A new healthcare bill in the U.S. Senate would cap Medicaid spending per beneficiary, which means the program would no longer be an open-ended entitlement that covers everyone who qualifies for benefits. Medicaid provides crucial funding of costly long-term care services for low-income elderly and disabled beneficiaries - services that Medicare does not cover. The Graham-Cassidy bill would also "repeal and replace" key ACA provisions which ensure individuals, particularly those with a...
Senators Secretly Crafting Bill to Cut Eldercare
Following widespread protests at congressional town hall meetings over the American Health Care Act - the House bill that would repeal key ACA provisions, end Medicaid as an entitlement, and leave 23 million uninsured - Senate leaders are crafting a similar health care bill in secrecy, with no committee hearings, debate, or public input from stakeholders. Only 10-12 Republican senators are writing the far-reaching health care legislation, which would make savage cuts...
Republicans Plan Eldercare Cuts
The Houston Chronicle published the following editorial on April 6, 2016:
"Cutting the safety net:
Republicans plan to reduce the federal government's contribution to health care.
It's the time of year when we face, once again, the specter of Ebenezer Scrooge, that most parsimonious and black-hearted of, well, scrooges. This year, however, he has a modern...
Will Trump Dump Medicaid on the States?
How will elder care be affected when Donald Trump becomes president and a Republican-controlled Congress convenes in January? We should prepare for potentially severe budget cuts in Medicaid and other programs affecting seniors and people with disabilities, according to news sources, experts, and advocates.
On his website, the president-elect supports turning Medicaid into a block grant, which could adversely affect elderly and disabled individuals and their families,...
New Rules Proposed for Veterans Aid and Attendance Pension
New Rules Proposed for Veterans Aid & Attendance Pension
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Sweeping changes to the Veterans Aid and Attendance Pension may be implemented soon. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has published proposed new rules that would clarify the amount of property and income a veteran or widow can...
Conference Focuses on Special Needs Children Transition to Adult Care
Most parents of special needs children in the U.S. believe their children are not adequately prepared to transition to adult health care, work, and independence. Consequently, the transition from pediatric to adult-based care for special needs children is the focus of the 16th Annual Chronic Illness and Disability Conference, Oct....