End of pandemic-era payments to family caregivers could complicate workforce shortages
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
Sep 20, 2023
During the pandemic, most states allowed some form of payment to family caregivers whose loved ones were receiving Medicaid home- and community-based services. As those payments dry up, workforce shortages...
Worker shortages, waiting list inaccuracies complicate HCBS programs
By
Kimberly Bonvissuto
Nov 30, 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on fundamental, long-term challenges for state Medicaid home- and community-based services programs, but it also provided opportunities for change, according to a...
State compliance status could affect assisted living providers that provide HCBS
By
Kimberly Bonvissuto
Dec 20, 2023
Assisted living operators that provide home- and community-based services to residents who are Medicaid beneficiaries could be affected as states continue to come into compliance with the provisions of...
CMS proposes ‘universal’ quality measures to ease provider burden, confusion
By
Lois A. Bowers
Feb 06, 2023
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services leaders are proposing the creation of a “universal foundation” of quality measures to reduce the reporting burden and confusion for providers and better align...
Pilot program works to develop HCBS quality measures that reflect beneficiary preferences
By
Kimberly Bonvissuto
Feb 05, 2024
Decisions about funding, service provision and policy when it comes to Medicaid home- and community-based services may not always reflect the needs of the people it affects most, particularly older adults...
11 states ready to go live with Medicaid HCBS final rule as deadline approaches, CMS says
By
Kimberly Bonvissuto
Feb 22, 2023
Eleven states are planning to go live under the regulations of the home- and community-based settings final rule on March 18, according to Melissa Harris, deputy director for the CMS Disabled and Elderly...
Medicaid HCBS study shows ‘we still know very little’ about COVID in senior living
By
Kimberly Bonvissuto
Jan 17, 2023
A new study reporting higher mortality rates among Medicaid home- and community-based services recipients — including assisted living residents — during the pandemic compared with people not receiving...
Assisted living needs to be part of enhanced Medicaid HCBS program, industry advocates say
By
Kimberly Bonvissuto
Jan 30, 2023
A proposal calling for permanent enhanced federal funding to states to expand the Medicaid home- and community-based services program needs to go a step further to emphasize the benefits of assisted living,...
Increased regulation, active adult, Medicaid HCBS top list of trends predicted for senior living in 2024
By
Kimberly Bonvissuto
Dec 13, 2023
Heightened state regulation, dementia care support, the rise of active adult communities and the increased provision of home- and community-based services to Medicaid beneficiaries are among the top trends...
Assisted living policy needs a reset to benefit residents, long-term care system
By
Kimberly Bonvissuto
Jul 24, 2024
Long-term care policy needs a reset, particularly in assisted living, according to one expert from a consumer advocacy group.