Best Senior Benefits News & Reviews

Most seniors in America can’t afford nursing homes or assisted living, study finds As many as 80% of  aging adults in America  lack the financial resources to pay for two years of nursing home care or four years of an assisted living community. That's according to a new study from the National Council on Aging (NCOA) and the LeadingAge LTSS Center at the University of Massachusetts Boston.  Additionally, 60% of older adults — or 24 million households — would not have the funds to pay for in-home long-term care, despite the fact that they would prefer to "age in place," per a report from NCOA. more     Telethink Health helps seniors age in place more affordably

More care at home could save Medicare, lawmakers believe " A new bill from Reps.  Adrian Smith  (R-Neb.) and  Debbie Dingell  (D-Mich.) that aims to reduce care in hospitals and other health care facilities and increase it in living rooms marks a rare, bipartisan collaboration on a potential solution to  Medicare’s financing problem . And it has drawn support from tech companies, insurers, venture capitalists, providers and telehealth advocates." more And We'll Be There To Help Telethink Health

Health care now tops inflation among American's concerns, survey shows Inflation is no longer Americans' No. 1 concern. Nowadays, it's the price of health care that's making Americans sweat. "Health care costs are the top concern among middle-income American households for the first time since 2021, outpacing inflation, according to a national survey from financial service provider Primerica". more Use telehealth and save: "About 75% of all doctor, urgent care, and ER visits “are either unnecessary or could be handled safely and effectively over the phone or video,” according to statistics from the American Medical Association and Wellness Council of America. Start saving now

Living in the Parallel Economy How businesses and families can join forces to survive the current economic downturn. New and creative ways to oppose the political environment in health care. https://notthebee.com/groups/living-in-the-parallel-economy

Positive thinking can reverse seniors’ memory loss, brain decline: study “This study is the first, to our knowledge, to consider whether a culture-based factor – positive age beliefs – contributes to MCI recovery,” wrote study authors Becca Levy and Martin Slade. more Telethink Health for seniors aging well at home.

For 'Near Poor' Seniors, Medicaid 'Cliff' Could Keep Health Care Out of Reach For 'Near Poor' Seniors, Medicaid 'Cliff' Could Keep Health Care Out of Reach "Fixing this so that people on Medicare don’t face substantially higher copays above the poverty threshold could lessen health care inequities among our nation’s seniors," Roberts said in a university news release. more   Telethink Health #nocopays #nodeductibles #noconsultationfees

US News & World Report - Health Follow Understanding a Key Tax Break at Senior Communities “A misconception many people have is that anything related to senior living or care is tax-deductible,” says Jonathan Gassman, principal at Prager Metis CPAs in New York City. “To qualify for a deduction, an expense must be medically related, such as costs for diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease or ailment and preferably prescribed or ordered by a physician but not always.”  more Telethink Health #aginginplace #caregiversupport

 The Future of Medicare and SSA If nothing is done to address the projected shortfall of the combined funds, they will be able to pay only 80 percent of the benefits due retirees sometime during 2034. If the OASI fund is viewed separately, it would be able to pay only 77 percent of benefits sometime during 2033. Here is the Social Security Administration’s  summary  of the report. And here is a graphic provided by the nonprofit Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) explaining the report:  The Medicare Report The expiration date of Medicare’s Part A Hospital Insurance (HI) trust fund improved by three years to 2031 but hold the applause. One of the primary causes of the gain were the Pandemic-related deaths of some of Medicare’s sickest and most expensive enrollees. The program’s remaining beneficiaries are not expected to incur such costly expenses for Part A, which covers care in hospitals, nursing homes, and hospice programs. Here's a snapshot of the HI fund:   full a