Older Americans Report articles from November 2005

Older Americans Report archives from November 2005

Supreme Court decision on ADA case will test reach of congress' power.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Although Justice Sandra Day O'Connor will still be on the bench next week when the Supreme Court hears a case involving the rights of disabled prisoners, the case hinges on a debate about the reach of congressional power on which O'Connor's...

Advocates for older people voice alarm about new Supreme Court nominee.
November 4, 2005... The nomination this week of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court is causing consternation among advocates because he appears to take a narrow view of the enforceability of the Medicaid statute and of the obligation of states to adhere to the...

Keeping older talent.
November 4, 2005... Employers would get tax breaks to let older workers reduce their hours without losing health and pension benefits under legislation introduced by Sen. Herbert Kohl (D-Wis.), ranking member of the Aging Committee. The Older Worker Opportunity...

Reexamining mobility.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... The Labor/HHS appropriations bill passed by the Senate last week would force the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to reexamine an interim final rule on payment for power mobility devices that became effective Oct. 25 (OAR, Sept. 2, p....

Woman watched father-in-law relive Holocaust a final time.(Special Report: Caring for Holocaust Survivors)
November 4, 2005... When the 93-year-old man started complaining about what "those bastards made me do," the aides from the home care agency didn't know what he was referring to, but Esther Finder knew all too well. A native of Auschwitz, the Polish city...

Video offers tips for health care staff on caring for Holocaust survivors.(Special Report: Caring for Holocaust Survivors)
November 4, 2005... When nursing home residents do odd things, such as taking food from the dining hall back to their rooms, tact on the part of staff is essential. A little knowledge of history does not hurt either, however, which is why new employees at the...

Reparations to survivors do not count when applying for federal assistance.(Special Report: Caring for Holocaust Survivors)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... People with limited incomes and few assets are dependent on Medicaid for many long-term care services, and the Medicare Part D program waives the monthly premium for people of limited means. In these and other federal programs, however,...

Working with survivors offers lessons for helping victims of other trauma.(Special Report: Caring for Holocaust Survivors)
November 4, 2005... Holocaust survivors are a distinct group, but in some ways, they are merely the most prominent members of a group that includes anyone who survived a war, even as a combatant, and who now, late in life, finds the experience coming back to haunt...

Evidence mounts that Holocaust stress comes back to haunt aging survivors.(Special Report: Caring for Holocaust Survivors)
November 4, 2005... A five-year study of elderly patients at an Israeli facility sheds light on how long the effects of the Holocaust trauma can last. Yoram Barak and colleagues from Tel Aviv University's Sackler School of Medicine studied the records of 921...

Survivors react differently to prospect of institutionalization, research shows.(Special Report: Caring for Holocaust Survivors)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Holocaust survivors may be reluctant to enter nursing homes, but this has less to do with their reservations about such facilities than the way they processed their wartime experience, according to research that appeared in the Journal of...

Some seniors make major sacrifices to pay energy costs, survey says.(Housing)
November 4, 2005... Some low-income senior citizens will go without medical care or close off part of their homes so they can pay their home energy costs, says a new survey that worries advocates, given the expected high cost of staying warm this winter. With...

CMS: New Freedom/Chronic Care Improvement.(Federal Register)
November 4, 2005... Information collection. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services requires grantees under its New Freedom Initiative to use an online reporting tool. The agency also collects information on the satisfaction of Medicare beneficiaries...

CMS: nursing staffing information.(Federal Register)(United States. Department of Health and Human Services. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services )(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Final rule. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services requires nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities to post at the end of each shift the number of people on duty who are responsible for direct-patient care, expressed in full-time...

HHS: Medicaid Commission.(Federal Register)
November 4, 2005... Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) and West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin (D) join the Medicaid Commission. Meanwhile, HHS Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation Michael O'Grady leaves the panel and is replaced by Donald Young, medical director for...

SSA: cost of living.(Federal Register)
November 4, 2005... The Social Security Administration raises benefits by 4.1 percent for 2006 (OAR, Oct. 21, p. 330). Contact: Jeffrey Kunkel, (410) 965-3013, www.socialsecurity.gov/OACT/ COLA/index.html. Federal Register, Oct. 25, p. 61677.

SSA: marriage duration.(Federal Register)
November 4, 2005... Final rule. A person shall be deemed to have been married to his or her late spouse for at least nine months, thus becoming eligible for survivors benefits, if the deceased married the surviving spouse within 60 days of the death of the...

SSA: replacement cards.(Federal Register)(United States. Social Security Administration)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2005... Information collection. The Social Security Administration requests emergency clearance to implement statutory limits on the number of replacement cards it will issue to any one person. Comments are due Nov. 14. Contact: Reports Clearance...

Tracking device performance.
November 4, 2005... As part of a trend toward approving certain devices or procedures for coverage by Medicare so long as doctors monitor the success of such treatments, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has contracted with the American College of...

Officials admit limits of avian flu plan but say investments must be made.
November 11, 2005... If a pandemic flu virus emerges, older people might be at no greater risk of getting infected than anyone else. Indeed, most human victims of the H5N1 virus have been under 25, the World Health Organization reports, so it is difficult if not...

Leaders of aging groups stay vigilant in wake of GOP retreat on budget.
November 11, 2005... House GOP leaders yesterday pulled a bill that would have cut many social service programs, but advocates are not letting down their guard. Meanwhile, a Republican senator this week derailed plans to enact further tax cuts, highlighting the...

Conferees relieve policing agency of role in approving pain drugs.
November 11, 2005... In what advocates for palliative care are calling a victory for consumers, House and Senate conferees agreed last week to take back an authority Congress gave the Drug Enforcement Administration last year to review the way new pain medications...

New York Law promotes wider range of Geriatric Mental Health services.
November 11, 2005... It is not everything advocates sought, but a law signed in August by New York Gov. George Pataki (R) is seen as a first step in making sure people pay as much attention to their mental health as their physical health as they age. ...

Conferences sought.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... The National Institutes of Health would convene a biennial conference on Parkinson's disease, under legislation introduced by Rep. Lane Evans (D-Ill.). Under the Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Disease Research Act Amendments (H.R. 3550), NIH would...

Where is that story?
November 11, 2005... An index to all articles that have appeared in Older Americans Report is available at www.bpinews.com/hr/pages/oar.cfm. For help finding something, call Mark Sherman, (301) 587-6300, ext. 360.

Medicaid deciphered.
November 11, 2005... The Kaiser Family Foundation has put each state's Medicaid program into a Medicaid Benefits Database, searchable by state or type of service. Footnotes provide state-specific details, and a separate set of notes explains the range of services...

Seniors' drug spending ranked.
November 11, 2005... Medicare beneficiaries over 65 spent $15 billion on cardiovascular drugs in 2003, outranking all other drug classes, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. This was followed by statins and other cholesterol-reducing drugs,...

Appeals court upholds Maine law on obligations of drug middlemen.
November 11, 2005... The First Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a Maine law that forces pharmacy benefit managers--the middlemen between drug companies and health plans--to assume a fiduciary responsibility toward the plans and disclose any conflict of interest...

Maryland agencies get assistance to improve senior involvement.(Housing)
November 11, 2005... New activities and pleasant common rooms still may not draw seniors out of their apartments and into activities. That's why housing advocates in Annapolis, Md., went back to the drawing board to improve case management and services. With...

Senate provides disabled veterans with aid on home remodeling.(Housing)
November 11, 2005... The U.S. Senate has approved a bill to help disabled veterans make improvements to their homes to improve accessibility. Part of the Senate's massive budget reconciliation bill for 2006, the provision would create a five-year pilot program...

New survey finds moderate increase in average assisted living costs.(Housing)
November 11, 2005... Assisted living costs increased 15 percent during the past year to an average of $34,860 annually, new research shows. The survey from MetLife found Boston with the highest average assisted living costs in the nation--at $4,629 per...

New bill proposes matching funds to preserve affordable housing.(Housing)
November 11, 2005... To avoid future displacement of seniors and families, two senators are proposing a new federal matching fund to help rehabilitate public housing. The plan from Sen. James Jeffords (I-Vt.) and Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.) would provide federal...

U.S. settles wheelchair case involving Pennsylvania CCRC.(Housing)(continuing care retirement community)
November 11, 2005... A Pennsylvania continuing care retirement community that had banned wheelchairs and motorized chairs and scooters from many areas will pay at least $90,000 as part of a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department. The settlement announced...

Texas voters approve expansion of reverse mortgages for seniors.(Housing)
November 11, 2005... Texas voters this week overwhelmingly approved a ballot initiative that will add flexibility to reverse mortgages for seniors. With passage of Proposition 7, seniors will be able to get lines of credit through their reverse mortgages. While...

NAHb marks aging in place week.(Housing)(National Association of Home Builders)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... In celebrating National Aging in Place Week from Nov. 6-13, the National Association of Home Builders Remodelers Council is drawing attention to the need for senior-friendly home improvements. NAHB is emphasizing the benefits of repairs such as...

CMS: electronic prescribing.(Federal Register)
November 11, 2005... Final rule. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services sets initial standards for providers who choose to prescribe drugs electronically under the Medicare Part D program. A pilot e-prescribing program begins Jan. 1; final standards are due...

HUD: Rita waivers.(Federal Register)(United States. Department of Housing and Urban Development)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... The Department of Housing and Urban Development waives various rules for public housing authorities in federal disaster areas designated as such in connection with Hurricane Rita. Housing agencies in other areas may obtain waivers if they are...

SSA: age guidelines.(Federal Register)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... Proposed rule. The Social Security Administration increases by two years the thresholds at which it considers age a factor in determining eligibility for disability benefits under Titles II and XVI. As a result, "closely approaching advanced...

SSA: ticket to work.(Federal Register)(United States. Social Security Administration)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... The Social Security Administration will hold additional town hall meetings in connection with its proposal to give people with disabilities more options for working without losing their disability benefits (OAR, Oct. 28, p. 344). Events will be...

VA: restraints, seclusion and medication.(Federal Register)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2005... Final rule. Any licensed health care professional, not just a physician, may order a patient at a facility run by the Department of Veterans Affairs to be restrained or secluded. The department rejected the idea that only doctors should issue...

FTA: senior transportation center.(Funding Opportunities)
November 11, 2005... The Federal Transit Administration has $2 million to create a National Technical Assistance Center for Senior Transportation. The center will distribute demonstration grants to transit agencies, nonprofit groups and state and local governments....

HUD: mainstream program.(Funding Opportunities)
November 11, 2005... The Department of Housing and Urban Development has $10 million over five years to fund 250 Sec. 8 vouchers under the Mainstream Housing Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities Program. Public housing agencies and nonprofit groups that...

NIA: small business awards.(Funding Opportunities)
November 11, 2005... The National Institute on Aging invites applications from small businesses interested in aging issues, such as technologies for older drivers, remote communication devices to help people live independently and devices to compensate for...

House, Senate square off on tax policy as advocates try to protect revenue.
November 18, 2005... Since 2001, when Congress enacted large tax cuts, advocates for older Americans have been aware that the fate of the agencies they champion is linked less to the merits of the programs those agencies run than to the fiscal climate. In...

House rejects Labor/HHS funding bill, reviving hopes for geriatric training.
November 18, 2005... Death was imminent for an effort to train health professionals in geriatrics, as House and Senate conferees voted Wednesday night to remove the program from the Labor/HHS appropriations bill. Yesterday afternoon, however, the program was still...

Error rate drops.
November 18, 2005... ERROR RATE DROPS. Improper fee-for-service Medicare payments dropped from 10.1 percent of claims in 2004 to 5.2 percent in 2005, saving $9.5 billion, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In 1996, the error rate was 14.2...

Advocates stay alert as funding levels for aging programs remain in limbo.
November 18, 2005... The defeat yesterday of the Labor/HHS funding bill may not produce much for the Administration on Aging when the bill comes around again; as it was, conferees had voted to cut the agency's budget by $17 million. In addition, the House approved...

Keeping pedestrians safe.(FYI)(Brief Article)
November 18, 2005... Researchers at the Highway Safety Research Center at the University of North Carolina are investigating the needs of older pedestrians in Hendersonville, N.C., as part of a statewide Senior-Friendly Community Initiative. The Hendersonville...

Paying for paperwork.(FYI)(Brief Article)
November 18, 2005... Twenty-one percent of healthcare spending in California goes to process insurance claims and another 13 percent goes for administrative costs, according to University of California, San Francisco professor James Kahn. In contrast, the state...

Fall-back plan urged on Part D.(FYI)
November 18, 2005... The New York seniors group has sued the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, alleging that many people will lose access to the prescription drugs they need come Jan. 1, when Medicare assumes responsibility for providing drugs to people...

CMS pays bonuses for improvements by hospitals, but questions remain.
November 18, 2005... In keeping with its desire to link payments to the quality and not just the quantity of the services it covers, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services this week awarded $8.9 million to hospitals that followed certain protocols in...

Taxpayers' exposure on pension plans remains high in latest accounting.
November 18, 2005... The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation reported a deficit of $22.8 billion in its single-employer program in Fiscal 2005, meaning if it went out of business and had to purchase annuities for the 1.3 million participants, it would fall short...

Alito opinion in age discrimination case raises alarm for advocates of access.
November 18, 2005... As court-watchers sift the record of Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, an opinion from 1997 is causing concern for supporters of the right of individuals to sue to enforce their rights under federal law. The case concerned a man who...

Providers dismayed but not surprised at drop in inhalation dispensing fee.
November 18, 2005... The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services this month said it would reduce the allowable fee for dispensing inhalation drugs by 42 percent in 2006, but industry leaders say the agency is unfairly excluding certain costs. The reduction...

More states offering aid to seniors, others to meet home heating costs.(Housing)
November 18, 2005... With home heating prices likely to put many seniors at risk this winter, more states are allocating new funds for heating assistance and setting policies that will make it harder for utilities to cut off services for cash-strapped households....

Two lawmakers seek greater access to proposed affordable housing fund.(Housing)
November 18, 2005... Two lawmakers want to undo a controversial provision of recently approved House legislation on affordable housing for low-income seniors and families. Reps. Mark Kennedy (R-Minn.) and Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) have introduced H.R. 4231,...

Groups seek input.(Housing Briefs)
November 18, 2005... Five senior housing organizations are conducting a research project, The 2006 Overview of Assisted Living: Facts & Trends. As part of this effort, the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging is asking executive directors,...

Senate approves nomination.(Housing Briefs)
November 18, 2005... The Senate has approved the nomination of Orlando J. Cabrera as Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing. Cabrera was nominated in August to succeed Michael Liu as assistant secretary. Most recently, Cabrera was director of the Florida...

Panel cancels hearing.(Housing Briefs)(Brief Article)
November 18, 2005... The House Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee canceled a public hearing scheduled this week on senior housing needs but plans to reschedule the session soon. The subcommittee was to focus on two bills--one to create an interagency...

Two seek profit tax.(Housing Briefs)(Brief Article)
November 18, 2005... Reps. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) have introduced legislation to impose a temporary windfall profit tax on oil industry profits and to use the revenues to increase funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program...

Cohousing event scheduled.(Housing Briefs)
November 18, 2005... Abraham Paiss & Associates will offer an Elder Cohousing: Getting Started Workshop Feb. 16-19 in Boulder, Colo. The event will include tours of recently completed communities and a discussion of projects from vision to reality. For information,...

CDC: fire safety.(Funding Opportunities)(Brief Article)
November 18, 2005... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has $2.3 million to install fire alarms in selected communities and conduct fire safety education, especially escape planning. Grantees will develop systems for gathering information about the...

CDC: unintentional injuries.(Funding Opportunities)
November 18, 2005... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has $750,000 for research on ways to prevent unintentional injuries such as older adult falls. The maximum award is $250,000. The deadline is Feb. 3. Contact: Brenda Hayes, (770) 488-2741,...

NINDS: Udall centers.(Funding Opportunities)
November 18, 2005... The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke invites applications from researchers at one of the Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Disease Centers of Excellence. The maximum award for projects with a clinical component is $1.5 million...

CDC: Vaccine information statements.(Federal Register)
November 18, 2005... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updates its statements about the risks of inactivated flu vaccine and live intranasal flu vaccine and updates the instructions for providing these statements to patients. The statements include...

CMS: drug plan finder.(Federal Register)
November 18, 2005... System of records. CMS contracts with Enterprise Business Services to manage its online Part D drug plan finder. This includes providing plan options to people who complete the finder questionnaire and forwarding requests to the appropriate...

CMS: home health rates.(Federal Register)
November 18, 2005... Final rule. CMS raises payments for home health care by 2.8 percent for 2006, reflecting a market basket update of 3.6 percent and an 0.8 percent reduction mandated by Congress. The agency is also phasing in revised boundaries for determining...

CMS: hospital outpatient rates.(Federal Register)
November 18, 2005... Final rule. CMS raises payments for outpatient care by 3.7 percent for 2006, with an additional 7.1 adjustment for about 400 rural hospitals. Copayments for 31 services are lowered to 20 percent as part of an ongoing process; the maximum...

CMS: Hospital patients survey.(Federal Register)
November 18, 2005... Information collection. CMS introduces standard measures for surveying patients' satisfaction with hospital care as part of the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Health Providers and Systems Survey. Comments are due Dec. 7. Contact: Reports...