Carmel, CA Medicare News : Pharmaceutical Companies Facing Financial Penalties

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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced on Wednesday that 27 drugs had large price hikes like the rheumatoid-arthritis treatment Humira from AbbVie.  These drug companies will all face price-increase penalties from the government.  The money taken back will go into the hospital Medicare Trust Fund, which is facing a shortfall.

Monterey, CA An Interesting New Twist On Alzheimer’s & Dementia Testing

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A new training tool dubbed the Interview For Decisional Abilities, or IDA, helps to assess whether some seniors can make informed choices about their own care and well being.  Although not specifically a test for Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, it was developed by two geriatricians to help Adult Protective Services (APS) workers decide if seniors have the cognitive ability to make financial and other decisions, even if those fly in the face of what family members want.  It’s also used by hospital discharge planners to assess whether a patient has the capacity to assist on going home instead of going into rehab.  Assisted living facilities may also start using IDA to see if new residents understood the contracts that they were signing.  Regular readers of my blog know that both my grandmother and my father had this terrible disease when they passed away.  There is a great group of people at the Alzheimer’s Association in Ryan Ranch who are there to help you.  They also have a 24-hour hotline at 1-800-272-3900.

AARP Gets Centers For Medicare & Medicaid Services To Regulate Nursing Homes More Stringently : By Derek Baine

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The AARP Foundation and other advocates agreed to amend a lawsuit against CMS after the agency which regulates nursing facilities, agreed to reinstate the ability to levy steep finds to hold nursing homes accountable for the health and safety of residents.  Previously, nursing homes could be fined only once per violation.  Under the new rules, the CMS can levy fines on a facility for every day they are or were in violation of the rules (Source AARP Bulletin, November 2021 Issue, page 4).

Medicare Advantage Premiums To Drop 11% In 2020

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According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Medicare Advantage plans are expected to decline by 11% in 2020 to $21 (from $23.63 in 2020).  About 42% of Medicare participants are expected to enroll in the plans, as many of those have added new services.  There are also a wide array of plans available, 47 in 2020 compared to just 39 in 2020.