Long-term Care Benefits in Medicare Advantage Plans: Reform Needed
==========
Five years ago, analysts hoped Medicare Advantage (MA) plans would provide federally financed long-term care (LTC) benefits; however, MA plans have low penetration and offer small, poorly coordinated LTC benefits. Non-health benefits like groceries and transportation may be crowding out LTC benefits. Medicare covers some LTC benefits, including up to 100 days of skilled nursing care after a hospital stay and limited home health services. Over half of Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in 5600 MA plans from 184 organizations. In 2019, CMS expanded MA benefits to include in-home support services, but only 15% of plans offered these in 2024, down 34% from 2023. The author argues for including LTC benefits in MA plans and eliminating non-health benefits to focus on essential health coverage amid growing federal deficits.
#Medicare #LongtermCare #HealthcarePolicy #Retirement #FederalBudget #MedicareAdvantage #HealthBenefits #SocialInsurance #PublicPolicy #Economy
https://www.aei.org/op-eds/long-term-care-benefits-in-medicare-advantage-plans-reform-needed/
American Enterprise Institute /
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2024-10-02 16:27:29
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wss://relay.nostr.band/allPublished at
2024-10-02 16:27:29Event JSON
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"content": "Long-term Care Benefits in Medicare Advantage Plans: Reform Needed\n==========\n\nFive years ago, analysts hoped Medicare Advantage (MA) plans would provide federally financed long-term care (LTC) benefits; however, MA plans have low penetration and offer small, poorly coordinated LTC benefits. Non-health benefits like groceries and transportation may be crowding out LTC benefits. Medicare covers some LTC benefits, including up to 100 days of skilled nursing care after a hospital stay and limited home health services. Over half of Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in 5600 MA plans from 184 organizations. In 2019, CMS expanded MA benefits to include in-home support services, but only 15% of plans offered these in 2024, down 34% from 2023. The author argues for including LTC benefits in MA plans and eliminating non-health benefits to focus on essential health coverage amid growing federal deficits.\n\n#Medicare #LongtermCare #HealthcarePolicy #Retirement #FederalBudget #MedicareAdvantage #HealthBenefits #SocialInsurance #PublicPolicy #Economy\n\nhttps://www.aei.org/op-eds/long-term-care-benefits-in-medicare-advantage-plans-reform-needed/",
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