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...
HCBS market recovers from drop that followed CMS proposal
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
Jun 12, 2023
Home- and community-based services markets are starting to recover after they “panicked” when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in late-April proposed that 80% of Medicaid payments for HCBS...
Federal government boosts support of HCBS, releases worker registry guidance
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
Dec 13, 2023
When the American Rescue Plan Act was passed in 2021, home- and community-based services were estimated to receive $12 billion. Now, $37 billion is now being used for HCBS across the country in all 50...
Business briefs, March 27
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
Mar 27, 2023
Bill closes ‘loophole’ in provider background checks … USCIS lifts COVID-related flexibilities … Biden’s budget would strengthen Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, HCBS, senator says … ORA...
Minimum staffing requirements good idea in theory only: AHCA/NCAL
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
Jul 13, 2023
A federal nursing home minimum staffing mandate “sounds like a good idea, but in practice, it is not,” American Health Care Association / National Center for Assisted Living President and CEO Mark...
Long-term care infrastructure needs centralized access point for information: Experts
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
Jun 15, 2021
The United States needs a centralized access point for families to learn about long-term care options as well as Medicare and Medicaid, write Anne Tumlinson, David Grabowski, Ph.D., and Robert Kramer in...
Better Care Better Jobs Act would create 500,000 direct care jobs: analysis
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
Jul 27, 2021
Passing the Better Care Better Jobs Act would create more than 500,000 new direct care jobs and provide respite care and other paid support, and it would enable millions of family caregivers to get back...
Long-term care deal volume down as 2024 approaches
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
Dec 13, 2023
As long-term care operators prepare for 2024, the volume of senior housing and care deals is down, Paul Branin, vice president of business development at management and consulting firm Health Dimensions...
$1.3 million project aims to strengthen direct care workforce
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
May 05, 2022
A $1.3 million federal project, with funding spread out over five years, will establish a new center to help strengthen the direct care workforce providing home- and community-based services to older...
Bipartisan legislation would expand access to advance care planning in Medicare
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
Sep 19, 2022
The Improving Access to Advance Care Planning Act pending in Congress would, if passed and signed into law, expand access to advance care planning services in Medicare.