Connecting Generations Video Challenge: Public Voting Begins

The submission period for the “Connecting Generations Video Challenge” has ended and the judges have made their selections. Now it is up to you to select the winners. Cast your vote for the best submission by logging on to http://challenge.gov/challenges/142/submissions and selecting the video you think best reflects the Older Americans Month 2011 theme—Older Americans: Connecting the Community. If you don’t already have one, you will need to create a Challenge.gov account before you can cast your vote for the winner.

The public voting period runs from May 20, 2011 through 11:59 p.m. EDT on May 27, 2011. Winners will be announced on May 31, 2011. The winning team will receive public recognition from the Administration on Aging.

For more information on Older Americans Month, please visit OlderAmericansMonth.org.

Statement by Medicare Rights Center President Joe Baker on the Release of the Medicare Trustees Report

The release of the Medicare Trustees Report today makes clear the importance of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to the solvency of the Medicare trust fund. The ACA provides added support to Medicare as the economy recovers and contributions to the trust fund begin to increase.

We must remember that preserving Medicare means not only maintaining the solvency of the trust fund, but also maintaining the value of the benefit and the financial and health protections the program provides to the people it serves. Half of people with Medicare live on incomes below $20,000 per year. Proposals such as premium support or spending caps artificially strengthen Medicare’s financial outlook by shifting unaffordable out-of-pocket costs to people with Medicare, leaving access to services in question.

But Medicare is not the problem. The problem is growing costs in the health care sector overall, and shifting costs from one party to another does nothing to address this issue. The ACA achieves savings without cutting benefits or increasing consumer costs, through promoting prevention, paying for quality over quantity, and improving care coordination that can help people with Medicare, including those with multiple chronic conditions, stay healthier. It is solutions like these that we must support to make Medicare stronger.

Trustees Report Shows Medicare Remains Viable, But Challenges Remain

The Medicare Trustees Report released today shows that while Medicare remains solvent longer than expected prior to passage of the Affordable Care Act, challenges remain for securing the long term financial health of the Medicare program. Expenditures for the Supplementary Medical Insurance (SMI) Trust Fund were lower than expected this year. The Trustees annual report says that Medicare’s Hospital Insurance (HI) Trust Fund is now projected to remain solvent until 2024.

Without the reforms in the Affordable Care Act, the Medicare HI Trust Fund would expire in just five years – in 2016. The report issued today shows these reforms added eight years of solvency.

“This report shows that without the Affordable Care Act, the outlook for the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund today would be much worse, said Donald Berwick, M.D., Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. “CMS is implementing critical reforms to improve care and reduce costs and improve the overall health of Medicare’s beneficiaries and the Trust Fund.”

Actual Part B expenditure growth in 2010 was lower than expected. Part B is funded by a combination of beneficiary premiums and general revenue financing.

Part D, the Medicare prescription drug program, is also in financial balance as a result of annual updating of enrollee premiums and benefit payments. Projected expenditures are slightly lower overall than in last year’s report, reflecting lower-than-expected costs in 2009 and 2010 together with a reduction in the projected growth in prescription drug spending in the U.S. for the next 10 years.

HI Trust Fund expenditures have exceeded income annually since 2008 and are projected to continue doing so under current law in all future years. Interest earnings and asset redemptions are required to cover the difference. HI Trust Fund assets are projected to cover annual deficits through 2023, with asset depletion beginning in 2024.

The five year change from the 2010 trustee report was due to a slowdown in the national economy, which resulted in a decline in tax revenues and higher real projected expenditures. This is not the first time that the HI Trust Fund expiration date has been affected by a decline in anticipated revenues. In 2004, for example, the Trust Fund exhaustion date moved up by 7 years, in large part because payroll tax revenues in 2003 were lower than had been anticipated.

The projections in this year’s report demonstrate the importance of the Affordable Care Act as a tool to improve the outlook for the HI Trust Fund but also point to a need to continue serious discussions about driving care improvements that also address underlying cost drivers in the Medicare program.

The Medicare Trustees are Treasury Secretary and Managing Trustee Timothy F. Geithner, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis, and Social Security Commissioner Michael J. Astrue. The two public representatives appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, are Charles P. Blahous III and Robert D. Reischauer began serving on September 17, 2010. CMS Administrator Berwick is designated as Secretary of the Board.

The report is available at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/ReportsTrustFunds/downloads/tr2011.pdf

HHS to Insurers: Double-Digit Rate Hikes Will Prompt Review

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released a final rule that will allow states to scrutinize insurance companies if they propose excessive increases in insurance premiums.

The final rule, published Thursday, would give states the authority beginning in September to issue a review of any insurer that raises premiums for small or individual health insurance plans by more than 10% in a given year. The law does not, however, give states or the federal government the power to tell an insurance company that it can't enact a high rate hike.

MedPage Today Article

I thought you would like to read the attached article:

Tai Chi Helps Prevent Falls, Aids Mental Health (CME/CE) - http://www.medpagetoday.com/Geriatrics/GeneralGeriatrics/26509

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Chicago Police Station Converted to LGBT Senior Home

A former police station on the North Side of Chicago that once symbolized discrimination will be incorporated into a housing development for LGBT seniors in the Boystown neighborhood.

According to the Chicago Sun Times, “For $1, the city will sell the old Town Hall District station, 3600 N. Halsted, to Heartland Housing Inc., sources said. The nonprofit developer will incorporate the old station into new construction of about 90 apartments for senior citizens.”

The sale requires city council approval. Heartland Housing said it must secure tax credits and other funding sources to keep apartments affordable, with the funding process expected to take about a year. Apartments will be priced for lower-income renters.

Weight-Loss Surgery for Seniors Still Iffy

By Nancy Walsh, Staff Writer, MedPage Today

Surgeons should continue to exercise caution in considering bariatric surgery for patients older than 65, a researcher said here.

Although age over 65 was not a significant predictor of 30-day mortality after open bariatric surgery, there was a trend in that direction compared with patients ages 50 to 64 (OR 3.3, 95% CI 0.8 to 14.3), according to Robert B. Dorman, MD, and colleagues from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Being over 65 was significantly associated with a prolonged length of stay in the hospital after an open procedure (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.5 to 2.9).

More

Seniors, Guns and Money

OP-ED by Paul Krugman in the New York Times
This has to be one of the funniest political stories of recent weeks: On Tuesday, 42 freshmen Republican members of Congress sent a letter urging President Obama to stop Democrats from engaging in “Mediscare” tactics — that is, to stop saying that the Republican budget plan released early last month, which would end Medicare as we know it, is a plan to end Medicare as we know it.

Now, you may recall that the people who signed that letter got their current jobs largely by engaging in “Mediscare” tactics of their own. And bear in mind that what Democrats are saying now is entirely true, while what Republicans were saying last year was completely false. Death panels!
Well, it’s time, said the signatories, to “wipe the slate clean.” How very convenient — and how very pathetic.

Anyway, the truth is that older Americans really should fear Republican budget ideas — and not just because of that plan to dismantle Medicare. Given the realities of the federal budget, a party insisting that tax increases of any kind are off the table — as John Boehner, the speaker of the House, says they are — is, necessarily, a party demanding savage cuts in programs that serve older Americans.

To explain why, let me answer a rhetorical question posed by Professor John Taylor of Stanford University in a recent op-ed article in The Wall Street Journal. He asked, “If government agencies and programs functioned with 19% to 20% of G.D.P. in 2007” — that is, just before the Great Recession — “why is it so hard for them to function with that percentage in 2021?”

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Walk to End Alzheimer's

Join the Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer's™ and unite in a movement to reclaim the future for millions. Since 1989, the Alzheimer's Association mobilized millions of Americans in the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk®; now, they ask you to register for Walk to End Alzheimer's, the nation's largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer care, support and research. Together, we can end Alzheimer's disease the nation's sixth-leading cause of death.

Find a walk and sign up as a team or individual.

Public comment on Home and Community Based Services

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would revise the regulations implementing Medicaid Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) under section 1915(c) of the Social Security Act. There are several proposed changes including the following:

· Requirement for person-centered planning

· Characteristics of home and community based settings

· Options for States to combine target groups into a single waiver

· Clarification of timing and public input requirements for amendments.

Please take a few minutes and comment on this important proposed rule.

Click the following link to view the proposed rule and make a comments:

http://www.hhs.gov/od/community/public/index.html

COMMENTS ARE DUE 5:00 PM EST JUNE 14, 2011



Budget Chief Wants Plan with 50-50 Split Between Spending Cuts and Tax Hikes

By Alexander Bolton

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) on Tuesday presented a budget proposal to Senate Democrats that calls for an even balance — 50 percent to 50 percent — of spending cuts and tax increases to reduce the deficit.
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Governor Rips Nursing-home Lobby, Says Tax Cut Possible in '12

By Joe Vardon - THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

In a suburban Cincinnati facility where tooling for engines used by the military is made, Gov. John Kasich unleashed a volley of verbal missiles at Ohio's nursing-home lobby yesterday.

Kasich, whose speech was scheduled as an event to stump for his two-year, $55.6 billion budget proposal, also said that if the state holds the line on spending this year, "we will have a tax cut next year."

The governor declined to disclose the type or amount of tax cut after his speech. He has in the past floated the idea of eliminating Ohio's income tax.

But Kasich was largely focused on the nursing-home lobby, which got his attention with an ad paid for by the Ohio Health Care Association that began airing on Friday.
 More

Saving the American Dream: The Heritage Plan to Fix the Debt, Cut Spending, and Restore Prosperity

The conservative Heritage Foundation released a budget plan Tuesday that balances the federal budget far sooner than the House 2012 budget resolution, in part by cutting benefits for current seniors.

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National Council On Disability Board Meeting

The board meeting will be held on Thursday, May 19, 2011, 1 p.m.-5:30 p.m., ET, and Friday, May 20, 2011, 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.,ET.

The board meeting will occur at the Access Board Conference Room, 1331 F Street, NW., Suite 800, Washington, DC.

Parts of this meeting will be open to the public. The rest of the meeting will be closed to the public.

The agenda for the board meeting includes:

• a review of the agency's budget and fiscal year obligations,
• strategic plan implementation,
• a public comment session, and
• other items, to be determined.

The meeting on Thursday will be conducted in a closed session to discuss internal personnel rules and practices, pursuant to paragraph (c)(2) of the Sunshine Act, and in accordance with a determination made by the NCD Chairman.

A public comment session will be held on Friday, May 20, from 1 p.m. until 1:30 p.m. Individuals interested in making public comments may do so in-person, by phone, or by providing written comments by e-mail, fax, or mail.

The toll-free call-in number is 1-888-972-9933, and the passcode is ``NCD Meeting.''

Written comments on disability-related issues of concern or interest may be mailed to NCD's office at 1331 F Street, NW., Suite 850, Washington, DC 20004; faxed to the NCD office at (202) 272-2022; or may also be e-mailed to ncd@ncd.gov at any time.

PORTIONS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC: The meeting on Friday, May 20, 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. will be open to the public.

PORTIONS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC: The meeting on Thursday, May 19, 1 p.m.-5:30 p.m. will be closed to the public.

CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION: Anne Sommers, NCD, 1331 F Street, NW., Suite 850, Washington, DC 20004; 202-272-2004 (V), 202-272-2074 (TTY).

ACCOMMODATIONS: Those who plan to attend and require accommodations should notify NCD as soon as possible to allow time to make arrangements.

Upcoming Webinar Addressing Behavioral Health Services in the Affordable Care Act

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

3 p.m. Eastern Time

What does health reform mean for people in recovery from addiction, consumers of mental health services, and their families? The National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery, Faces & Voices of Recovery, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness jointly present a series of five webinars sponsored by SAMHSA to provide information on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its implementation in the states to state-based advocates from the mental health and addiction disorders consumer, recovery, and family communities.

Register now for the first webinar, an overview of ACA and how it helps people with mental health and addiction disorders and their families. The webinar will give advocates the tools they need to begin interacting effectively with state legislators, administrators, and others charged with development of mechanisms and regulations for implementation of ACA.

Register Online

Presenters

Alice Dembner, Deputy Policy Director, Community Catalyst
Carol McDaid, Co-Founder and Principal, Capitol Decisions, Inc.
Ron Manderscheid, Executive Director, National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors

Colonoscopy: Who Gets Treated Where and How Effective is that Treatment?

Phone-Based Tests Can ID Cognitive Problems

By Todd Neale, Staff Writer, MedPage Today

Telephone-based assessments can reliably identify dementia in an ethnically diverse, older population, researchers found.

Two phone-based measures were able to discriminate demented from nondemented individuals and those with mild cognitive impairment from those with dementia, according to Jennifer Manly, PhD, of Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, and colleagues.
More

Study Finds CV Risk Even With Short-Term NSAID Use

By Peggy Peck, Executive Editor, MedPage Today


There is no "safe" duration for NSAID use in patients with a history of myocardial infarction, according to an analysis of data from more than 83,000 patients -- use of NSAIDs after MI increased the relative risk of death or second MI by as much as 45%.

Moreover, the common NSAID diclofenac (Voltaren, Cataflam) was associated with a 3.52 HR for death during the first week of use, according to Anne-Marie Schjerning Olsen, MB, of Copenhagen University Hospital in Gentofte, Denmark, and colleagues.

That's a higher risk of death at the initiation of treatment than was seen with rofecoxib (Vioxx), which was withdrawn from the market in 2004, they wrote online in Circulation, Journal of the American Heart Association.
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Psoriasis and Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes

Generation Alzheimer's

The good news is that death rates for many major diseases - HIV, stroke, heart disease, prostate cancer, and breast cancer - are declining. Sadly, the same can't yet be said about Alzheimer's. This year, the first of the Boomer Generation turns 65. To bring urgently-needed attention to the risk facing the Boomers, Alzheimer's Association recently released a groundbreaking study Generation Alzheimer's: The Defining Disease of the Baby Boomers.

The new report, "Generation Alzheimer's: The Defining Disease of the Baby Boomers," sheds light on a crisis that is no longer emerging – but here.

• Many baby boomers will spend their retirement years either with Alzheimer's or caring for someone who has it.
• An estimated 10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer's.
• Starting this year, more than 10,000 baby boomers a day will turn 65. As these baby boomers age, one of out of eight of them will develop Alzheimer’s – a devastating, costly, heartbreaking disease. Increasingly for these baby boomers, it will no longer be their grandparents and parents who have Alzheimer’s – it will be them.
• "Alzheimer’s is a tragic epidemic that has no survivors. Not a single one," said Harry Johns, president and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association. "It is as much a thief as a killer. Alzheimer’s will darken the long-awaited retirement years of the one out of eight baby boomers who will develop it. Those who will care for these loved ones will witness, day by day, the progressive and relentless realities of this fatal disease. But we can still change that if we act now."
• According to the new Alzheimer’s Association report, "Generation Alzheimer’s," it is expected that 10 million baby boomers will either die with or from Alzheimer’s, the only cause of death among the top 10 in America without a way to prevent, cure or even slow its progression. But, while Alzheimer’s kills, it does so only after taking everything away, slowly stripping an individual’s autonomy and independence. Even beyond the cruel impact Alzheimer’s has on the individuals with the disease, Generation Alzheimer’s also details the negative cascading effects the disease places on millions of caregivers. Caregivers and families go through the agony of losing a loved one twice: first to the ravaging effects of the disease and then, ultimately, to actual death.
• "Most people survive an average of four to six years after a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, but many can live as long as 20 years with the disease. As the disease progresses, the person with dementia requires more and more assistance with everyday tasks like bathing, dressing, eating and household activities," said Beth Kallmyer, senior director of Constituent Relations for the Alzheimer’s Association. "This long duration often places increasingly intensive care demands on the nearly 15 million family members and friends who provide unpaid care, and it negatively affects their health, employment, income and financial security."
• In addition to the human toll, over the next 40 years Alzheimer’s will cost the nation $20 trillion, enough to pay off the national debt and still send a $20,000 check to every man, woman and child in America. And while every 69 seconds someone in America develops Alzheimer’s disease today, by 2050 someone will develop the disease every 33 seconds - unless the federal government commits to changing the Alzheimer’s trajectory.
• "Alzheimer’s – with its broad ranging impact on individuals, families, Medicare and Medicaid - has the power to bring the country to its financial knees," said Robert J. Egge, vice president of Public Policy of the Alzheimer’s Association. "But when the federal government has been focused, committed and willing to put the necessary resources to work to confront a disease that poses a real public health threat to the nation – there has been great success. In order to see the day where Alzheimer’s is no longer a death sentence, we need to see that type of commitment with Alzheimer’s." The full text of the Alzheimer’s Association’s "Generation Alzheimer’s" report can be viewed at www.alz.org/boomers.