GAO: CMS needs better data to prevent HCBS overpayments, fraud
By
Lois A. Bowers
Feb 13, 2017
The Medicaid program needs better data to be able to ensure that it does not overpay for personal care services and to reduce the risk of fraud occurring, the Government Accountability Office said in a...
Advocates for seniors identify their top issues for Trump administration
By
Lois A. Bowers
Jan 22, 2017
Medicaid, home- and community-based services, long-term services and supports, the elder care workforce and Medicare are among the important areas that President Donald Trump and members of Congress should...
Save HCBS-related ACA provisions, LeadingAge and other advocacy groups tell Trump
By
Lois A. Bowers
Jan 11, 2017
Improving access to Medicaid home- and community-based services is a critical provision of the Affordable Care Act that has bipartisan support and should remain intact even if the healthcare law is repealed...
CMS should improve oversight of HCBS, GAO says
By
Lois A. Bowers
Jan 03, 2017
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should standardize federal requirements for programs providing personal care services for Medicaid beneficiaries, including residents of assisted living communities,...
5 big issues in senior living in 2016
By
Lois A. Bowers
Dec 29, 2016
Looking back on our coverage of the senior living industry and the issues that affected it in 2016, several common themes emerge. Five are detailed in this year-end review.
CMS provides long-awaited guidance about HCBS for those with dementia
By
Lois A. Bowers
Dec 20, 2016
Person-centered care plans, staffing, activities and environmental design are the keys for residential and adult day settings seeking reimbursement for services provided to Medicaid beneficiaries of home-...
Aging Committee leaders cheer bipartisanship
By
Lois A. Bowers
Nov 30, 2016
As the ranking member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging prepares to depart from that role, she and the committee’s chairwoman celebrated what can be accomplished when Republicans and Democrats...
CMS: Older adults dominate HCBS participant numbers but not spending or time
By
Lois A. Bowers
Nov 14, 2016
Older adults and/or people with disabilities account for the majority of recipients of home- and community-based services funded through Medicaid Section 1915(c) waivers, although the average dollar amount...
Medicaid spent $776 million on HCBS waivers for older adults in 2014, CMS says
By
Lois A. Bowers
Nov 13, 2016
The Medicaid program spent almost $776 million on 1915(c) waivers to cover home- and community-based services for older adults in fiscal year 2014, according to a new report from the Centers for Medicare...
OIG plans review of Medicaid waivers, employee background checks, more
By
Lois A. Bowers
Nov 10, 2016
Reviews of Medicare and Medicaid payments, fraud and abuse, and employee background check efforts are some of the items on the agenda for the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector...