Eldercare in the news is something that catches my eyes and ears. So it was as I was reading an article in one of the local newspapers on possible changes in Medicaid. As I finished reading, I thought that with the presidential election coming up, it would be good for people to know what changes may be happening to Medicaid in the near future. I then realized that I have a good medium for providing that information and much more on an ongoing basis. That medium is my website and the one you are browsing and reading right now.
After some thought on how I would do this and be able to do a thorough job of it, I realized that I don't have time to review every bit of eldercare in the news that is published on a daily basis, so.......I thought perhaps my visitors and readers might be able to make contributions as they learn of something newsy and they would want to share it with other readers. You can do that at any time simply by clicking on the following link and adding the news you found to be useful to most people interested in elder care news.
Your contribution does not have to be something you read or saw on TV or You Tube. It can be a comment from you stating your opinion about a particular article or something that you feel strongly about.
To kick-off this page of eldercare in the news, I am citing an article I found in the Star-Telegram titled, "Changes in Medicaid may affect families" written by Nina Bernstein of The New York Times, September 9, 2012. In this article, Ms. Bernstein writes about possible waivers that the individual States may decide to impose on people entering nursing homes under the Medicaid program. Those changes could financially affect thousands of individuals and families and in most cases, deplete any savings that people may have worked for all their lives.
Many of us have hopes of leaving an inheritance to our children, regardless of how small or large that inheritance may be. Unfortunately, for many, those savings will be used in paying for long term care, leaving nothing to bequeath to anyone. With more that $80,000 a year going to nursing home expense, it's easy to see that most of us will not be able to receive long term care for very long without the assistance of Medicaid.
There is now talk from Republicans of replacing Medicaid with block grants in order to cut spending. This would let states change the minimum eligibility, standards of care and would institute federal rules that now protect children from being billed for the care of their parents.
Please don't misconstrue what I write as being partisan to any political party. What I write are facts as I find them with the intent of helping anyone who is faced with the decision of choosing long term care. If you feel that I have been unfair, misguided or misrepresented what I wrote in eldercare in the news, please add your comments in the comment section below. I will only edit content that is objectionable or obscene.
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