Older Americans Report articles from December 2005

Older Americans Report archives from December 2005

Senator to introduce legislation aimed at preventing bait-and-switch in Part D.
December 2, 2005... Saying older Americans deserve some predictability in what they will pay under the new Medicare drug program, Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) plans to introduce legislation that will bar plan sponsors from raising their drug prices within a given...

Complexity of Medicare drug program may prompt lawmakers to revise it.
December 2, 2005... Although Medicare beneficiaries in managed care plans will be offered a seamless drug package, most Medicare beneficiaries will face a dizzying array of options as they try to add Part D to their coverage. The question is whether the strain of...

Choosing a plan.
December 2, 2005... Medicare beneficiaries can use a worksheet developed by the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law to pick a drug plan, whether they are mental health consumers or not. The 11" x 17" chart shows which of nine medications each of six plans covers,...

Executive picked.(Diane Justice appointed as executive director of the National Association of State Units on Aging)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... Diane Justice began work yesterday as executive director of the National Association of State Units on Aging. Justice worked as a policy analyst at the Congressional Research Service and before that was deputy assistant secretary at the...

Evaluation sought.
December 2, 2005... The Ohio Department of Aging solicits bids for an evaluation of its home- and community-based waiver program, known as PASSPORT. The evaluation was mandated by the legislature and must be completed by June 1, 2007. Applications are due Dec. 16....

Medicare prescription drug plan finder, hotline system faulted by advocates.
December 2, 2005... Although it is to be expected that it will take some time to work out the kinks in the Part D program, the list of such problems, both human and technological, is very long, according to the Center for Medicare Advocacy. The human problems...

Benefit managers dispute suggestion that Part D is not saving money.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... A Democratic congressman this month said the prices charged by Medicare drug plans are no lower that what people without any insurance would pay, but drug plan middlemen, known as pharmacy benefit managers, say the criticism is misleading. ...

Offering help.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... With a grant from AstraZenica Pharmaceuticals, the National Council on the Aging has deployed 37 vans and dozens of educators to 27 states to help people sort out their choices under the new Medicare drug plan. Equipped with wireless laptops,...

Researchers see apparent connection between losing sleep, gaining weight.
December 2, 2005... In New York, aging experts have been sounding the alarm about sleep loss among the elderly (see following story). Meanwhile, officials at the Administration on Aging have been urging people to avoid becoming obese. Now comes news that people...

Sleeplessness affects young-old more than the old-old, survey data show.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... Many health problems tend to get worse as people age, but sleeplessness follows a more circuitous route, according to a survey of 1000 people over age 50 commissioned by the International Longevity Center. Thus, 46 percent of people age...

Senate approves Sarbanes bill to create interagency council.(HOUSING)
December 2, 2005... Plans for a federal interagency council linking senior housing and services have cleared a major hurdle on Capitol Hill. The full Senate last month approved S. 705, the proposal from Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.) to create the Interagency...

Advocates: many seniors not leaving uninhabitable New Orleans homes.
December 2, 2005... Three months after the deadly Gulf Coast hurricanes, a large number of New Orleans residents--including many seniors--are residing in uninhabitable homes without promised government assistance, housing advocates say. While there are no...

Final HUD funding bill cuts CDBG, falls short of senior housing goal.(Community Development Block Grant)
December 2, 2005... Congress has agreed to a fiscal 2006 housing bill that would provide level funding for elderly housing but make a small cut in Community Development Block Grant funding. While lawmakers rejected President Bush's call to terminate the...

Publisher helps aging facility leaders find presenters for staff training.
December 2, 2005... Books abound in the long-term care field, but turning what they contain into training for staff can be a challenge. Now, a publisher of books, manuals and CDs on aging issues provides administrators a way to connect with the authors of their...

CMS: computing ASP.(Federal Register)
December 2, 2005... Interim final rule. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services retreats from its insistence that the prices paid for drugs under the Competitive Acquisition Program be factored into the Average Sales Price, which is now the basis for most...

CMS: out-of-pocket expenses.(Federal Register)
December 2, 2005... System of records. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is creating a master file so drug plans, beneficiaries and pharmacies will know how much people have spent out-of-pocket under Part D. The True Out-of-Pocket (TrOOP) system will...

CMS: physician fee schedule.(Federal Register)
December 2, 2005... Final rule. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will reduce payments to physicians by 4.4 percent in 2006 unless Congress intervenes. In addition, the physician fee schedule extends coverage for glaucoma screening to Hispanic...

CMS: premium withholding.(Federal Register)
December 2, 2005... System of records. Medicare beneficiaries can have their Part C or Part D premiums withheld from their Social Security checks beginning in January under the Premium Withhold System. Premiums also can be withheld by the Railroad Retirement...

AoA: Native Hawaiians.(Funding Opportunities)
December 2, 2005... The Administration on Aging invites applications from groups that can provide supportive and nutrition services to Native Hawaiians. Funding is dependent on appropriations. The deadline is Feb. 15. Contact: Yvonne Jackson, (202) 357-3501....

Easter Seals: wheelchairs and transit.(Funding Opportunities)
December 2, 2005... Project Action at Easter Seals has $99,500 to study how public and private transportation companies, including paratransit and taxi companies, accommodate passengers in wheelchairs. The report should describe policy and practice in relation to...

FTA: Sec. 5310 operating expenses.(Funding Opportunities)
December 2, 2005... The Federal Transit Administration solicits applications from states interested in using up to 33 percent of their funds under the Sec. 5310 Elderly Individuals and Individuals with Disabilities program for operating rather than capital...

NHLBI: sleep deprivation and obesity.(Funding Opportunities)
December 2, 2005... The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute has $2 million to investigate the link between sleep deprivation and obesity, both of which are of concern to people as they age. Up to four awards will be made. Applications are due Jan. 25....

OVW: violence against women with disabilities.(Funding Opportunities)
December 2, 2005... The Office on Violence Against Women invites applications from organizations that can provide education and technical assistance to groups that serve women with disabilities who are at risk of domestic violence. Six to 10 awards of up to...

Reviews stopped.(FYI)
December 2, 2005... The Department of Veterans Affairs has agreed to stop reviewing claims for post-traumatic stress disorder after discovering that an apparent lack of documentation in 25 percent of previously reviewed cases was not due to fraud. The move was...

Network contracts awarded.(FYI)
December 2, 2005... The Department of Health and Human Services has picked four companies to build prototypes of an electronic health information network (OAR, June 10, p. 184). The grantees are Accenture, Computer Sciences Corporation, IBM and Northrop Grumman,...

Reporting on quality.(FYI)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... CMS last month launched the Physician Voluntary Reporting Program as part of its effort to gather data on the performance of all kinds of Medicare providers. As a first step, physicians will be asked to attach a code to the clinical data they...

Lawmakers propose loans, grants to spur installation of sprinklers.
December 9, 2005... Now that the National Fire Protection Association has amended its Life Safety Code to require sprinklers in all nursing homes, no matter when they were built or how they were constructed, the nursing home industry is seeking financial support...

CMS misses deadline on pledge to post nursing home fire safety violations.
December 9, 2005... The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regularly collects information on whether nursing homes meet dozens of fire safety standards --not just whether there are smoke detectors or sprinklers but whether the interior finishes are flame...

Nurses say pandemic flu program must include victim compensation.
December 9, 2005... Joining the debate over preparations for an avian flu pandemic, the American Nurses Association last month said its members would be reluctant to get vaccinated unless they knew they could get compensated in the event of an adverse reaction or...

Hold the drugs.
December 9, 2005... Echoing calls for restraint by federal officials, the California Health Services Department is urging doctors to resist prescribing Tamiflu to people who are worried about a bird flu epidemic. The indiscriminate prescribing of Tamiflu, which...

Advocates assail bid to add protection for vaccine makers to defense bill.
December 9, 2005... An attempt to shield makers of a pandemic flu vaccine from liability as part of a defense spending bill was attacked yesterday by Public Citizen as a give-away to industry. Adopting liability protection as part of the defense bill, which is...

House approves tax cut extensions; conference committee comes next.
December 9, 2005... The House yesterday approved a package of tax cuts, including an extension of cut in the tax on dividends and capital gains that the Senate has refused to endorse and some that advocates for older Americans say is unwarranted. The House...

Weighing what to cut.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... As House and Senate negotiators try to resolve their differences over the spending-cut half of the budget reconciliation process, nursing homes are opposing any change in the way asset transfers are handled. The House voted to impose a penalty...

Surviving the crush.(SHIP Resource Center)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... As the new Medicare drug benefit gets under way, SHIP agencies are handling a huge number of calls from people seeking information about their choices. Now, the SHIP Resource Center has produced a Hotline Training Guide on handling high call...

Fielding questions.
December 9, 2005... Aging service professionals who do not know how to answer questions about the Medicare drug program can get help from a special hotline set up by the Medicare Rights Center. By calling (877) 794-3570, staff can get answers to their own...

Top 10, top 10.
December 9, 2005... Lipitor, Zocor and Prevacid were the best-selling drugs in 2003, generating sales of $7.8 billion, $5.5 billion and $3.5 billion, respectively, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Meanwhile, hardening of the arteries,...

Getting it down.
December 9, 2005... Aging service professionals immersed in the Medicare drug program can earn continuing education credits by taking a course on Part D offered by the University of Kansas Medicare Center. A nominal fee will be charged for the course, and those...

Reverse mortgages set another record, but backlog delays some transactions.(Housing)
December 9, 2005... The market for reverse mortgages continued to set records in 2005, though industry leaders said the sector would experience even greater growth if it had access to more loan counselors. For the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, the Federal...

Senior housing education program gains new funding for coursework.(Housing)
December 9, 2005... A Maryland school focused on senior housing and care has received two new donations totaling $200,000 for scholarships to students who will take undergraduate courses in the field. The grants to the Erickson School of Aging Studies at the...

NCR hotline still receiving calls three months after Katrina.(National Church Residences)
December 9, 2005... With many Gulf Coast seniors still in unsettled living situations, a special senior housing hotline for Hurricane Katrina victims will remain in operation "indefinitely," its sponsor says. The toll-free hotline has fielded nearly 800 calls...

Bush signs bill protecting CDBG, funding other housing programs.(Community Development Block Grant)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... President Bush has signed into law a 2006 budget bill that funds the Section 202 senior housing program and preserves the Community Development Block Grant. Bush signed the bill even though it rejects his request to end CDBG, a popular...

AoA: White House conference.(Federal Register)
December 9, 2005... The White House Conference on Aging will be held Dec. 11-14 in Washington. Details, including the annotated agenda, are at www.whcoa.gov. Contact: Rada Spencer, (301) 443-2496. Federal Register, Nov. 29, p. 71531.

CMS: Ambulance rates.(Federal Register)
December 9, 2005... CMS raises its Medicare ambulance rates by 2.5 percent for 2006. Contact: Anne Tayloe, (410) 786-4546. Federal Register, Nov. 25, p. 71163.

CMS: Electronic attachments.(Federal Register)
December 9, 2005... The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services extends until Jan. 23 the deadline for commenting on proposed standards for attaching documents to electronic claims for payment (OAR, Sept. 30, p. 312). Contact: Lorraine Doo, (410) 786-6597....

CMS: Electronic claims.(Federal Register)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... Final rule. CMS specifies the circumstances under which providers need not submit their Medicare claims electronically, such as when there is no way to make such a submission electronically or when the provider or supplier is small. Effective...

CMS: Hospice care amendments.(Federal Register)
December 9, 2005... Final rule. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services implements some of the changes to the Medicare hospice benefit enacted in 1997, 1999 and 2000. Effective Jan. 23. Contact: Linda Smith, (410) 786-5650. Federal Register, Nov. 22, p....

DOT: SAFETEA-LU.(Federal Register)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... The Federal Transit Administration explains various changes made by SAFETEA-LU ("A Legacy for Users"), which was signed Aug. 10. These include a new capital expense for coordinating regular transportation services with human service...

FCC: telecommunications relay services.(Federal Register)
December 9, 2005... The Federal Communications Commission seeks comment on a petition to make captioning mandatory for providers of telecommunications relay services and to permit reimbursement for Internet-based captioning. Comments are due Dec. 30. Contact: Dana...

HHS: patient assistance programs.(Federal Register)
December 9, 2005... The HHS Inspector General says patient assistance programs may continue to help people with their drug costs once Part D begins--provided that the sponsors are neither pharmaceutical companies nor fronts for such companies; otherwise, the...

HUD: Manufactured housing.(Federal Register)
December 9, 2005... Final rule. The Department of Housing and Urban Development adopts certain construction and safety recommendations made by the Manufactured Housing Consensus Committee and explains why it is deferring action on others. Effective May 30....

SSA: fugitive felons.(Federal Register)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... Proposed rule. In keeping with the Social Security Protection Act, the Social Security Administration will not pay benefits under Title II to anyone who is a fugitive felon or probation or parole violator unless good cause is shown. A good...

SSA: noncompliance during disability reviews.(Federal Register)(Social Security Administration)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... Proposed rule. The Social Security Administration intends to suspend disability payments under Titles II or XVI if a claimant fails to provide requested documentation and intends to terminate benefits if this goes on for 12 months; currently,...

VA: advance directives.(Federal Register)
December 9, 2005... Final rule. The Department of Veterans Affairs codifies its procedures for honoring advance directives, including a VA living will and a VA durable power of attorney. The department also explains its protocol for honoring verbal or nonverbal...

Staying employed.(Calendar Update)(Calendar)
December 9, 2005... The National Academy of Social Insurance will hold a conference on older workers Jan. 19-20 in Washington. Speakers include Melissa Favreault of the Urban Institute, Joanna Lahey of the National Bureau of Economic Research and Randall Eberts...

Speaking out.(Calendar Update)(Calendar)
December 9, 2005... Families USA will hold its Health Action conference Jan. 26-28 in Washington. Topics include the new Medicare drug benefit, the implications of new Medicaid waivers in Florida and Vermont and efforts to tighten FDA oversight of prescription...

Preserving Independence.(Calendar Update)(Calendar)
December 9, 2005... The International Conference on Aging, Disability and Independence will be held Feb. 1-5 in St. Petersburg, Fla. Topics include home modification, universal design, telehealth, robotics and workplace adaptations. Contact: ICADI, (352) 273-6135,...

Talking about Parkinson's.(Calendar Update)(Calendar)
December 9, 2005... The Parkinson's Action Network will hold its public policy forum Feb. 19-21 in Washington, including visits with lawmakers. Contact: PAN, (202) 638-4101, www.parkinsonsaction.org. The event is followed by the World Parkinson Congress, Feb....

Convening the network.(Calendar Update)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... The National Council on the Aging and the American Society on Aging will hold their joint meeting March 16-19 in Anaheim, Calif. The event includes a workshop on surveying options for physical activity for older adults, a session on getting...

Getting ready again.(Calendar Update)(Calendar)
December 9, 2005... The National Hurricane Conference will be held April 10-14 in Orlando, Fla. Contact: NHC, (850) 906-9224, www.hurricanemeeting.com. This will be followed by the Governor's Hurricane Conference, May 8-12, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Contact: GHC,...

Understanding Depression.(Other Events)
December 9, 2005... How to screen older people for mental health issues is part of an audio conference Dec. 15 by Caresource Healthcare Communications and the National Council on the Aging. Resources for Seniors with Depression will be presented by NCOA Vice...

Serving native elders.(Other Events)
December 9, 2005... The Administration on Aging is sponsoring three technical assistance forums for staff at agencies serving American Indians, Alaskan Natives and Native Hawaiians. The events are Jan. 10-12 in Cabazon, Calif.; March 21-23 in Nashville, Tenn.; and...

Getting out.(Other Events)
December 9, 2005... Project Action at Easter Seals is offering "People on the Move" workshops for groups that provide transportation services for people with disabilities. The events will be Feb. 8-9 in Scottsdale, Ariz.; March 13-14 in Jackson, Miss.; and May 8-9...

Most firms take retiree drug subsidy, but long-term picture is less clear.
December 16, 2005... When Congress passed the Medicare Prescription Drug Act in 2003, many lawmakers wanted to make sure employers did not take the creation of the program as an excuse to drop drug coverage for their retired workers. That goal has largely been...

Advocates at loss for political strategy as AoA budget cut nears final vote.
December 16, 2005... Although the number of people over 60 is growing as baby boomers age, and although the cost of the helping them age in place is rising on a per-capita basis, the budget for the Administration on Aging will drop by 1.2 percent, or $17 million,...

Fiscal year 2006 labor/HHS appropriations: conference report 109-337, in thousands, approved by House.
December 16, 2005... Fiscal Year 2006 Labor/HHS Appropriations Conference Report 109-337, in thousands, approved by House FY 2005 FY 2006 Change Aging network $13,266 $13,266 0.0% ...

Delegates chafe at conference rules but say momentum has been kept.
December 16, 2005... Conferences are scripted affairs, and this week's White House Conference on Aging was no exception. In fact, no additions or amendments were permitted to the 73 resolutions presented to the delegates for their consideration. Within that...

Pension bill advances.
December 16, 2005... PENSION BILL ADVANCES. The House yesterday approved legislation designed to restore the solvency of private pension plans. The vote on the Pension Protection Act (H.R. 2830) was 294-132, with 70 Democrats voting in favor. Rep. John Boehner...

Grants awarded.
December 16, 2005... GRANTS AWARDED. The Administration on Aging last week awarded grants totaling $600,000 to make sure people in managed care plans take advantage of the services provided by the aging network. For example, AAA 10B in Uniontown, Ohio, is working...

Collaborating on Part D.
December 16, 2005... COLLABORATING ON PART D. The National Council on the Aging is helping members of Kaiser Permanente apply for low-income subsidies under the new Medicare drug program. NCOA will use direct mail and telephone campaigns to reach eligible Kaiser...

Help in Spanish.
December 16, 2005... HELP IN SPANISH. With the holiday season approaching, and with it the stress of family gatherings, the National Institute on Aging wants to let people know about a publication in Spanish that may help family members talk about Alzheimer's...

Easing the pain.
December 16, 2005... EASING THE PAIN. Hospitals are making increasing use of a set of strategies known as palliative care, with the goal being to relieve pain and improve the quality of life as much as to prolong it, according to an article this week in the Journal...

Food, nutrition service rejects request by states on home heating allowances.
December 16, 2005... State officials who wanted to make it easier to qualify for food stamps in recognition of the higher prices for heating people are likely to pay this winter were turned down last week by administrators of the Food and Nutrition Service. ...

Alito said to be reluctant to recognize rights of people with disabilities.
December 16, 2005... Echoing criticism by others, representatives of three organizations this week said they could not trust Third Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Samuel Alito to uphold the rights of people with disabilities if he were confirmed to a seat on the...

From sensors to robots, technology may promote seniors' aging in place.(Housing)
December 16, 2005... Family caregivers seeking relief soon may look to sophisticated new tracking sensors or even Pearl the Robot to help seniors stay safe at home. That was the view of private companies and senior groups at a Washington, D.C., technology...

Judge: feds must extend hotel program.(Housing)
December 16, 2005... The federal government must extend its hotel housing program for Hurricane Katrina victims, a federal judge in Louisiana ruled this week. Judge Stanwood Duval required the Federal Emergency Management Agency to continue the program through Feb....

Firms, advocates seek faster approval for home care assistance products.(Housing)
December 16, 2005... As more firms develop high-tech home care products, the U.S. should create a national technology and aging commission to promote research and development and streamline the product approval process, experts said Monday. "This is a golden...

Senators appeal for more LIHEAP aid.(Housing)
December 16, 2005... While time running out, four senators are mounting a last-ditch effort to secure more home heating assistance funds this winter. Citing the large number of low-income seniors and others facing high energy bills this winter, Sens. Tom Harkin...

CMS: Inherent reasonableness.(Federal Register)
December 16, 2005... CMS: Inherent reasonableness. Final rule. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services adopts a policy under which it can deviate from standard Medicare payment rates if those amounts are inherently unreasonable because they are either...

CMS: Medicare Advantage.(Federal Register)
December 16, 2005... CMS: Medicare Advantage. Information collection. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is requesting emergency clearance for revisions to the forms that organizations use to qualify for participation in the Medicare Advantage program....

DOJ: ADA certification.(Federal Register)
December 16, 2005... DOJ: ADA certification. The Justice Department says North Carolina's Accessibility Code with 2004 amendments meets or exceeds the new construction and alterations requirements of Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Contact: John...

HHS: Safe harbors, fraud alerts.(Federal Register)
December 16, 2005... HHS: Safe harbors, fraud alerts. Each year, the Office of the Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services solicits recommendations for new safe harbors from the anti-kickback law, which prohibits attempts to induce or...

HUD: Fair housing grantees.(Federal Register)
December 16, 2005... HUD: Fair housing grantees. The Department of Housing and Urban Development announces grants to various organizations devoted to enforcing the fair housing laws, including laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability. Contact:...

Calendar update.(Calendar)
December 16, 2005... CREATING SAFER MOBILE HOMES. Members of the public are invited to participate in a conference call by the Manufactured Housing Consensus Committee. The committee is reviewing proposed changes to the way consumer complaints are handled, as well...

ABA: Partnerships in law and aging.(Funding Opportunities)
December 16, 2005... ABA: Partnerships in law and aging. The American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging and the Borchard Foundation Center on Law and Aging solicit applications for 10 awards of $7,500 each to foster stronger relationships among providers...