| Advocacy |
Higher Part D Premiums Put Millions Of Low-Income Beneficiaries At Risk
More than 2 million low-income Medicare beneficiaries may once again face a disruption in their prescription drug coverage as skyrocketing premiums and a dramatic reduction in the number of available plans will pressure them to switch to new Medicare Part D plans in order to avoid higher costs next year. Changes to the 2009 Medicare Part D plans will force low-income beneficiaries to switch to new plans or face premiums that they cannot afford and/or limit access to the medicines prescribed by their doctors, according to a report released by the National Senior Citizens Law Center (NSCLC). Login to see complete story
11/18/2008 4:45 PM
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New MacArthur Network To Examine Impact of Aging Society
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is creating a new inter-disciplinary research network to help America prepare for the challenges and opportunities posed by our aging society. In the middle of the next decade, the United States will become an aging society, one feature of which is that those over age 60 will outnumber those under age 15. Although the nation will become increasingly gray in subsequent decades, we are not well prepared to deal with the myriad consequences of this impending reality. Login to see complete story
11/21/2008 07:01 AM
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| Capitol Hill |
Baucus White Paper Proposes Role For Medicare In Healthcare Reform
The most comprehensive statement to date on what a health reform proposal should look like comes from Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over Medicare. He describes Call to Action: Health Reform 2000, the white paper he issued on Nov. 12, as his vision to address healthcare coverage, quality, and cost, but not as a legislative proposal. His recommendations are designed "so that after 10 years the U.S. would spend no more on healthcare than is currently projected, but we would spend those resources more efficiently and would provide better-quality coverage to all Americans." Login to see complete story
11/21/2008 08:38 AM
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Dingell Loses Energy & Commerce Chair To Waxman
When the 111th Congress convenes in January, the powerful House Energy & Commerce Committee will be chaired by someone other than Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), the longest-serving lawmaker on Capitol Hill. The new chairman will be Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), a close friend and ally of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Login to see complete story
11/20/2008 12:41 PM
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Former Senate Leader Daschle To Be HHS Honcho
Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle has accepted President-Elect Barack Obama's offer to be Secretary of Health & Human Services, sources tell Aging News Alert. Login to see complete story
11/19/2008 2:12 PM
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MO Delegation Seeks Explanation From Social Security, IRS About Teacher Retirement
Based on a new federal ruling, some public school employees will no longer be able to pay into Missouri’s popular Public School Retirement System in lieu of Social Security -- instead they will have to pay into both but receive reduced benefits. Nine members of the Missouri congressional delegation are trying to find out why. Login to see complete story
11/19/2008 07:47 AM
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| Courts |
Former Hialeah Resident Pleads Guilty To $56.7M Medicare Fraud Scheme
Federal prosecutors tell us that Miguel Almanza, formerly of Hialeah, FL, has pled guilty in connection with a $56.7 million Medicare fraud scheme. U.S. Justice Department officials say Almanza operated and controlled 13 durable medical equipment (DME) companies, and three medical clinics located in Miami-Dade and Hillsborough Counties. Using these 13 companies, Almanza and his co-conspirators submitted nearly $57 million of false claims to Medicare for medical equipment, prescription medications, and outpatient medical services. Login to see complete story
11/17/2008 1:23 PM
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| Federal Agencies |
NTIA To Award $2.7M In DTV Transition Funding To Local Aging Groups
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will award $2.7 million to the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) to help seniors transition to digital television. On Feb. 17, 2009, full-power television broadcasters will switch from analog to digital signals. Login to see complete story
11/19/2008 07:29 AM
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| Financial Services |
College Savings Plans Make the Grade
With the cost of higher education continually rising, it's more important than ever to get an early start saving for a child or loved one's college education. For parents or grandparents considering education-funding possibilities, Section 529 state-sponsored College Savings Plans may be the way to go. Login to see complete story
11/19/2008 12:10 PM
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| Funding Opportunities |
Applications Invited For Medical Student/Aging Research Program
(Deadline: Feb. 6, 2009) Administered by the American Federation for Aging Research, the 2009 Medical Student Training in Aging Research Program provides first-year medical students with an enriching experience in aging-related research and geriatrics under the mentorship of top experts in the field. Login to see complete story
11/17/2008 11:20 AM
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May and Stanley Smith Charitable Trust Serves Elderly
The May and Stanley Smith Trust was created in 1977 by May Smith, to provide grants to organizations that serve the needs of children, the elderly, the disabled, and the disadvantaged. The Trust makes grants to support projects in North America. Login to see complete story
11/21/2008 12:32 PM
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Xcel Energy Foundation Offers Seniors-Related Grants
Among the organizations the Xcel Energy Foundation supports with its generous grants are those involved with housing, financial counseling, diversity, senior citizens, and economically disadvantaged people. Login to see complete story
11/21/2008 12:28 PM
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| Industry News |
Oregon State U. Academic To Receive GSA’s Prestigious Kleemeier Award
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) has chosen Dr. Jon Hendricks of Oregon State University as the 2008 recipient of its Robert W. Kleemeier Award. This distinction is given annually to a GSA member in recognition for outstanding research in the field of gerontology. The award will be given at GSA’s 61st-annual Scientific Meeting, which will be held from Nov. 21-25 in National Harbor, MD. Login to see complete story
11/18/2008 08:06 AM
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| Innovation |
GMU Professor Names 2008's Top Five 'Nana' Technology Holiday Gifts
With the holiday season under way, George Mason University Professor Andrew Carle has unveiled his third annual list of the best high-tech gifts for grandparents and other seniors. Carle, director of Mason's Program in Assisted Living/Senior Housing Administration, is internationally recognized for coining the term "Nana Technology" to describe microchip-based products that can improve quality of life for older adults. Login to see complete story
11/19/2008 11:42 AM
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| Medicare/Medicaid |
CMS Issues Improper Payment Rates For Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP
CMS has reported it protected roughly $400 million of taxpayer dollars as improper payments for Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) decreased from 3.9% in fiscal year 2007 to 3.6%, or $10.4 billion, in FY 2008. The Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP improper payment rates are issued annually as part of the HHS... Login to see complete story
11/18/2008 08:41 AM
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CMS Proposes Revised Coverage Policy For Bariatric Surgery As Diabetes Treatment
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing to clarify its policies for Medicare coverage of bariatric surgery as a treatment for beneficiaries with type 2 (or non-insulin-dependent) diabetes. The proposed decision notes that type 2 diabetes is one of the co-morbidities CMS would consider in determining whether bariatric surgery would be covered for a Medicare beneficiary who is morbidly obese. Login to see complete story
11/18/2008 08:58 AM
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CMS Publishes New Information On Quality Of Care At Dialysis Facilities
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has made some important additions to the Dialysis Facility Compare consumer website that will give consumers even better insight into the quality of care provided by their local dialysis patient facilities. The improvements include two new quality measures that demonstrate how well dialysis patients are treated for anemia (low red blood cell count) as well as updated information that will help patients better understand survival rates by facility.
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11/21/2008 08 AM
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| News in the States |
NCSL Urges Obama To Support Economic Package For States
The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), in a letter to President-Elect Barack Obama and his transition team, is pressing for a second stimulus package aimed at states that would spur job growth and tax relief. Several of the recommendations being advanced by the NCSL, if adopted as national policy, would directly impact seniors. Login to see complete story
11/17/2008 1 PM
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| Research and Reports |
Study To Examine Early, Inherited Form of Alzheimer's
The adult children of people diagnosed with inherited Alzheimer's disease are the focus of a new study to better understand the biology of the disease. Researchers are seeking 300 volunteers with a biological parent with a known genetic mutation causing rare and typically early-onset forms of the disorder to join the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer's Disease Network (DIAN) study, a six-year, $16 million study funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Login to see complete story
11/20/2008 08:33 AM
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Ginkgo Study Fails To Show Benefit In Preventing Dementia In Elderly
The study was conducted primarily to determine if ginkgo would decrease the incidence of all types of dementia and, more specifically, reduce the incidence of Alzheimer's disease. Secondarily, the study evaluated ginkgo for its effects on overall cognitive decline, functional disability, incidence of cardiovascular disease and stroke, and total mortality. Login to see complete story
11/19/2008 07:18 AM
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Study: Community Physical Activity Programs Are Money Well Spent
Community-based physical activity interventions designed to promote more active lifestyles among adults are cost-effective in reducing heart disease, stroke, colorectal and breast cancers, and type 2 diabetes, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Login to see complete story
11/17/2008 12:28 PM
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| Services |
Time For Annual Rx Drug Checkup For Seniors On Medicare
Seniors hurt by the recent economic downturn can find a way to save precious dollars on prescription drugs. The open enrollment season for Medicare Part D began on Nov. 15, which means now is the perfect time for people with Medicare to re-evaluate their prescription drug coverage.
MyMedicareMatters.org, a program of the National Council on Aging (NCOA), can help people learn how to review and evaluate their plan options to make sure that they have selected the right plan for 2009. Login to see complete story
11/17/2008 2:26 PM
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17 People Doing Good Work In Second Half Of Life Win Unusual Story Contest
One winner retired from the military and found his true calling: teaching disadvantaged youth in a homeless shelter. Another realized her childhood dream of becoming a nurse after a career in office management. A third, a former TV news producer, applied the passion she felt for vulnerable children to her new job raising money for a pediatric care center. These are three examples of Americans who are successfully transitioning from mid-life careers to new encore careers -- work that combines personal meaning and social impact with continued income in the second half of life. They and 14 others have won a trip to a first-ever summit on encore careers organized by Civic Ventures, a national think tank on boomers, work and social purpose. Login to see complete story
11/18/2008 08:04 AM
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