Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
State-Specific Incidence of Diabetes Among Adults --- Participating
States, 1995--1997 and 2005--2007
Oct. 31, 2008
National survey data indicate that the incidence of diagnosed diabetes in the
United States has increased rapidly and that obesity is a major predictor of
diabetes incidence.
View
publication
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
New Cases of Diagnosed Diabetes on the Rise
October 30, 2008
The rate of new cases of diagnosed diabetes rose by more than 90 percent among
adults over the last 10 years, according to a study by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
View report
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
CMS Announces Plans To Bolster Quality Of Care In Hospital Outpatient
Departments
October 30, 2008
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today announced plans to
strengthen the tie between the quality of care furnished to people with
Medicare in hospital outpatient departments and the payments hospitals receive
for those services.
View
release
Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy
Survey Shows Negative Impact of Medicare Part D "Classes of
Clinical Concern""
Oct. 29, 2008
A report of survey results issued by the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy
indicates that current government regulations requiring Medicare’s Part D
prescription drug plans to include all drugs in certain designated classes
could be costing US taxpayers an additional $511 million per year.
View
release
National Association of Health Underwriters
NAHU Statement on Medicare Regulations on Commissions
Oct. 29, 2008
Janet Trautwein, executive vice president and CEO of the National Association
of Health Underwriters (NAHU), today released the following statement on the
regulation of Medicare commissions:
View
release
White House
National Family Caregivers Month, 2008
October 29, 2008
During National Family Caregivers Month we recognize and celebrate the many
individuals throughout our country who work each day to ensure a better quality
of life for their family members. Through their selfless action, these
caregivers provide their loved ones support and comfort as they age, combat
illness, or suffer from disability.
View
release
Public Citizen
Congressional Report Lays to Waste Bush Administration’s
Pre-emption Claims
Oct. 29, 2008
A report issued today by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is
proof that the Bush administration has pulled out the stops to shield drug
companies from liability for dangerous drugs while leaving patients out in the
cold.
View
release
Century Foundation
New Issue Brief from the Century Foundation Recommends Changes to
Medicare Part D
Oct. 28, 2008
Medicare Part D, which was aimed at relieving senior citizens of some of the
burdens imposed by the costs of their prescription drugs, offers seniors the
chance to enroll in any one of a number of plans provided by private insurers
in their region. Unfortunately, the plans offered by these companies are both
difficult to compare to one another and contain a coverage gap that adversely
affects millions of participants. The next administration will need to put
plans in place early on to deal with this troubling problem.
View release
Merck
CDC Advisory Panel Votes To Update Pneumococcal Vaccination
Recommendations
Oct .23, 2008
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on
Immunization Practices voted unanimously yesterday to recommend that adults
ages 19 to 64 with asthma receive pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23),
known as PNEUMOVAX® 23 (Pneumococcal Vaccine Polyvalent).
View
release
White House
National Alzheimer's
Disease Awareness Month, 2008
Oct. 29, 2008
During National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, we recognize the dignity
and courage of the men and women living with Alzheimer's disease.
View
proclamation
Food and Drug Administration
FDA Issues Warning Letters to Bayer HealthCare for Illegally
Marketing Two Unapproved Drugs
October 28, 2008
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today sent Warning Letters to Bayer
HealthCare concerning two unlawful, over-the-counter (OTC) aspirin products —
Bayer Women's Low Dose Aspirin + Calcium (Bayer Women's) and Bayer Aspirin with
Heart Advantage (Bayer Heart Advantage).
View release
National Cancer Institute
Review of Prostate Cancer
Prevention Study Shows No Benefit For Use Of Selenium And Vitamin E Supplements
October 27, 2008
Initial, independent review of study data from the Selenium and Vitamin E
Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT), funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI)
and other institutes that comprise the National Institutes of Health shows that
selenium and vitamin E supplements, taken either alone or together, did not
prevent prostate cancer.
View release
National
Cancer Institute
Review of Prostate Cancer Prevention Study Shows No Benefit for Use of
Selenium and Vitamin E Supplements
Oct. 28, 2008
Initial, independent review of study data from the Selenium and Vitamin E
Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT), funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI)
and other institutes that comprise the National Institutes of Health shows that
selenium and vitamin E supplements, taken either alone or together, did not
prevent prostate cancer.
View
release
Alzheimer’s Association
Frontotemporal Dementia Included In Compassionate Allowances
Initiative
Oct. 27, 2008
In its effortto improve the disability determination process and expedite the
disability claim process, the Social Security Administration has announced it
will include frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in its compassion Allowance
Initiaitve for Social Security benefits eligibility.
View
release
Social Security Administration
SSA Nationwide Launch of Compassionate Allowances Process Will Fast
Track Applications For People with Cancers and Rare Diseases
Oct. 27,2008
Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today announced the
national rollout of the agency’s Compassionate Allowances initiative, a way to
expedite the processing of disability claims for applicants whose medical
conditions are so severe that their conditions obviously meet Social Security’s
standards.
View
release
American Association for Homecare
American Association for Homecare Proposes Aggressive 13-Point Plan
to Stop
Medicare Fraud and Recoup Billions; Calls Steps Essential to Medicare’s Health
October 27, 2008
Tough new steps must be taken to prevent fraud and abuse in Medicare, says the
American Association for Homecare, which today announced 13 specific recommendations
that could eliminate most of the Medicare fraud attributed to the home medical
equipment (HME) sector.
View
release
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Hospital Discharges to Home Health and Nursing Homes Increasing
Oct. 27, 2008
The rate of patients discharged from hospitals but who still needed home health
care increased 53 percent (from 2 million to 4 million) between 1997 and 2006,
according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality.
View
release
Gerontological Society of America
Healthiness in Old Age Requires Advance Planning
Oct. 27, 2008
A new study in the October issue of The Journal of Gerontology:
Medical Sciences (Volume 63A, Number 10) finds that fewer than 10
percent of people aged 65-85 maintain exceptional emotional and physical health
throughout their golden years.
View
release
Sanofi Pasteur
High-Dose Influenza Vaccine Shows Increased Immune Response Among
Adults 65 Years Of Age and Older
October 26, 2008
Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis Group, announced today
that an investigational high-dose influenza vaccine demonstrated increased
immune responses among adults 65 years of age and older compared with the
standard influenza vaccine.
View
release
American Public Health
Association
APHA Announces New Campaign Aimed at “Building the Foundation for a
Healthy America”
October 26, 2008
The American Public Health Association
unveiled a new campaign that will serve as the theme for National Public Health
Week, April 6-12, 2009, and will guide APHA’s work through the week and beyond.
The theme, “Building the Foundation for a Healthy America,” aims to establish
the critical role public health must play as we focus our efforts on improving
our nation’s health.
View release
American
Geriatrics Society
Nine U.S. Lawmakers Earn "A+" Ratings from American Geriatrics
Society for Legislation Supporting Quality and Cost-Effective Elder Healthcare
October 23, 2008
Nine U.S. Senators and Representatives have earned "A+" ratings from
the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) for supporting legislation aimed at
ensuring the nation's rapidly growing population of older adults access to
quality healthcare, the Society announced today, two weeks before the November
4 election. Another 15 Senators and 16 Representatives earned "A's"
on AGS' Congressional Report Card.
View
release
American Geriatrics
Society
Older Adults and Caregivers Should Schedule Flu and Other Life-Saving Shots,
Advises the American Geriatrics Society's Foundation for Health in Aging
October 21, 2008
Older adults and those who care for them should start making plans to get their
flu shots, and should ask their healthcare providers whether they need other
vaccinations recommended for older people, the American Geriatrics Society's
Foundation for Health in Aging suggests.
View release
Tipsheet
Commonwealth Fund
Extra Payments to Private Fee-For-Service Medicare Advantage Plans to
Total $2.5 Billion in 2008
October 21, 2008
Private fee-for-service (PFFS) Medicare Advantage plans will be paid an average
16.6 percent more in 2008 compared to what the same enrollees would have cost
in the traditional Medicare fee-for-service program, according to a new report
from The Commonwealth Fund. Although Congress made significant revisions to
policies that affect how PFFS plans operate in 2011 and thereafter, the legislation
is expected to slow enrollment in PFFS plans but not stop the overpayment for
each enrollee.
View
release
Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services
Medicaid Spending Projected
to Rise Much Faster Than the Economy
October 17, 2008
Under current law, spending on Medicaid is expected to substantially outpace
the rate of growth in the U.S. economy over the next decade, according to a new
annual report released today by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services.
View release
Department of Health and
Human Services
More Than Five Billion Dollars
Released Under LIHEAP
Oct. 16, 2008
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced the release of $5.1 billion from the
federal government’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) under
the Fiscal Year 2009 Continuing Resolution.
View release
American Geriatrics Society
American Geriatrics Society, NIA and Hartford Foundation's
"Bedside to Bench" Conference Series Explores Contributors to Fatigue
in Later Life
October 17, 2008
A further understanding of fatigue in later life requires careful
study of potential biological, psychological, and social contributors,
according to leading researchers who gathered in Bethesda, Maryland last month
for a conference examining links between aging and fatigue.
View
release
Social Security Administration
Social Security Announces 5.8 Percent Benefit Increase for 2009
Oct. 16, 2008
Monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits for
more than 55 million Americans will increase 5.8 percent in 2009, the Social
Security Administration announced today. The 5.8 percent increase is the
largest since 1982.
View release
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Expenditures to treat arthritis in U.S.
adults totaled $32 billion in 2005, according to a new report
by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. That includes ambulatory
care (36%), inpatient care (31%), prescription drugs (21%) and home health care
(12%). Roughly one in 10 U.S.
adults, or 21 million, reported experiencing arthritis in 2005, according to
the agency’s Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.
View release
View
report
Civic Ventures
Boomers Want Careers with Meaning and Impact Later in Life, But Will
Nonprofits Hire Them?
Oct. 16, 2008
In these economic times, boomers will need to work longer, and many say they
want a job that provides both money and meaning. The question is, are nonprofit
employers interested in hiring employees who have finished their midlife
careers? What makes nonprofits more eager — or less — to give encore workers a
try?
View
release
National Institute on Aging
NIA and McKnight Brain Research Foundation Join Forces to Support
Cognitive Aging Research
Oct. 15, 2008
The Research Partnership in Cognitive Aging is a newly launched public-private
effort to support current and emerging research on age-related changes in the
brain and cognition. It is jointly funded by the National Institute on Aging
and the McKnight Brain Research Foundation.
View release
AARP
AARP: Retirement Dreams Falter As Economy Slumps
Oct. 10, 2008
ARP today released two reports examining the state of Americans’ retirement and
financial security. The findings of these reports paint a bleak picture for
retirement dreams right now and in the future.
View
release
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive
and Kidney Diseases
Annual Report Targets Chronic
Kidney Disease In The United States
October 8, 2008
A 30 percent increase in chronic kidney disease over the past decade has
prompted the U.S. Renal Data System (USRDS) to issue for the first time a
separate report documenting the magnitude of the disease, which affects an
estimated 27 million Americans and accounts for more than 24 percent of
Medicare costs. The USRDS is funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and
Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of
Health (NIH). The USRDS 2008 Annual Data Report: Atlas of Chronic Kidney
Disease and End-Stage Renal Disease, is online at <www.usrds.org>.
View release
Alliance for Aging
Research
Alliance Launches Campaign to Increase Awareness of Aortic Stenosis
Oct. 8, 2008
Following a survey that shows doctors and patients lack information about
aortic stenosis, a common age-related heart condition, the not-for-profit
Alliance for Aging Research is launching a campaign to educate physicians about
this under-diagnosed and under-treated condition.
View
release
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Medicare’s Online Tools Will Help Beneficiaries With Prescription
Drug And Health Plan Choices For 2009
Oct. 7, 2008
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today announced that
beneficiaries, their caregivers, and family members can begin to review 2009
Medicare prescription drug plan and health plan information online through the
Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder and Medicare Options Compare at www.medicare.gov.
View
release
Department of Health and Human Services
HHS Announces Physical Activity
Guidelines for Americans
October 7, 2008
Adults gain substantial health benefits from two and a half hours a week
of moderate aerobic physical activity, and children benefit from an hour
or more of physical activity a day, according to the new Physical Activity
Guidelines for Americans.
View release
Gerontological Society of America
Unmet Need Common Among Patients with Advanced Illness
Oct. 6, 2008
There is often a lack of adequate communication between health care providers
and those facing terminal conditions, according to a series of articles in the
latest issue of The Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences.
View
release
National Institutes of Health
Anti-Cancer Drug Prevents,
Reverses Cardiovascular Damage In Mouse Model Of Premature Aging Disorder
Oct. 6, 2008
An experimental anti-cancer drug can prevent -- and even reverse -- potentially
fatal cardiovascular damage in a mouse model of progeria, a rare genetic
disorder that causes the most dramatic form of human premature aging, National
Institutes of Health researchers reported today.
View release
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention
CDC Awards $10.9 Million
for Preparedness Research Centers at Seven Schools of Public Health
Oct. 6, 2008
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded $10.9 million to
seven accredited schools of public health for the establishment of Preparedness
and Emergency Response Research Centers. The seven schools will conduct
research that will evaluate the structure, capabilities, and performance of
public health systems for preparedness and emergency response activities.
View release
National Institute on Aging
Noted Geriatrician Named Aging Institute Deputy Director
Oct. 6, 2008
Marie A. Bernard, M.D., a noted geriatrician and educator from the University
of Oklahoma, has been named deputy director of the National Institute on Aging,
effective Oct. 12, 2008.
View release
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
CMS Enhances Program Integrity
Efforts To Fight Fraud, Waste And Abuse In Medicare
October 6, 2008
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced
aggressive new steps to find and prevent waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare.
CMS is working closer with beneficiaries and providers; consolidating its fraud
detection efforts; strengthening its oversight of medical equipment suppliers
and home health agencies; and launching the national recovery audit contractor
program.
View
release
AARP
AARP: House Vote Brings Economic
Relief One-Step Closer to Americans
Oct. 3, 2008
Today’s vote in the House brings economic relief one step closer to the
countless Americans who demanded that Congress take action to restore the
financial security of our nation.
View
release
NCCNHR
NCCNHR Executive Director
Announces Resignation
Sept. 2008
Nearly five years after taking the helm as Executive Director, Alice Hedt has announced her resignation.
View
newsletter
AARP
House Still Has the Opportunity to Bring Relief to Your Street
October 2, 2008
As the House of Representatives renews consideration of legislation to help
bring relief to America, AARP Chief Operating Officer Tom Nelson issued the
following statement.
View
statement
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Statement on the Senate-Passed Financial Rescue Legislation
October
1, 2008
The House should quickly approve the financial rescue plan that the Senate
approved in strong bipartisan fashion yesterday. Further delay would leave the U.S. economy increasingly vulnerable to a contraction
more severe than any since the 1930s — one that could trigger large increases
in unemployment and poverty and the loss of a sizeable portion of many
families’ retirement savings.
View statement
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Medicare Publishes Billing Edits to Reduce Payment Errors
October 1, 2008
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today announced that,
beginning October 1, 2008, it will publish most of the edits utilized in its
Medically Unlikely Edit (MUE) program to improve the accuracy of claims
payments.
View release
Consumers Union
Medicare Policy to Withhold Payments to Hospitals That Harm Patients
Goes Into Effect October 1
September 30, 2008
New federal regulations to restrict Medicare payments to hospitals for the
extra care required to treat patients harmed by certain preventable infections
and medical errors go into effect on Wednesday, October 1. The rules adopted by
the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) aims to provide hospitals with
a financial incentive to improve patient care.
View
release
National Institutes of Health
Roughly One Quarter of U.S. Women Affected by Pelvic Floor Disorders
Sept. 17, 2008
Nearly 24 percent of U.S. women are affected with one or more pelvic floor
disorders, report researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Their analysis is the first to document in a nationally representative sample
the extent of pelvic floor disorders, a cluster of health problems that causes
physical discomfort and limits activity.
View release
Food and Drug Administration
FDA Clears New CDC Test to
Detect Human Influenza
Sept. 30, 2008
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today cleared a new test developed by the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to diagnose human influenza
infections and the highly pathogenic influenza A (H5N1) viruses.
View release
Office of Inspector General
OIG Publishes Voluntary Supplemental Compliance Program Guidance for
Nursing Facilities
Sept. 30, 2008
New voluntary guidance will help nursing facilities develop compliance programs
that address major Medicare and Medicaid fraud and abuse problems related to
poor quality of care, billing Federal health care programs, and kickbacks.
View
release
View
Federal Register
National Institutes of Health
NIH Named To AARP'S List Of Best
Employers For Workers Over 50
Sept. 30, 2008
The National Institutes of Health has been named to AARP's list of Best
Employers for Workers Over 50. NIH is
the first federal agency to make the AARP list, placing eleventh in the 2008
rankings.
View release
National Council on Aging
Medicare Beneficiaries Face Loss
of Low Income Subsidy
September 29, 2008
Medicare beneficiaries who receive the Part D Extra Help/Low Income Subsidy
(LIS), which helps low income people pay for prescription drugs, could benefit
from BenefitsCheckUp® if they lose their "deemed" or automatic
eligibility, for 2009.
View
release
AARP
AARP on Financial Rescue Debate: Economic Pressure
Will Crush Main Street
Unless Congress Acts Now
September 29, 2008
Bill Novelli, AARP’s CEO, issued the following statement on the economic rescue
plan currently being debated in Congress.
View
statement
Kaiser Family Foundation
States See Rising Enrollment In Medicaid As Economy Falters
Sept. 29, 2008
With states confronting a weakening economy, enrollment in Medicaid began to
rise last year with states expecting even larger increases for fiscal year
2009, according to a new 50-state survey
released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Kaiser Commission on Medicaid
and the Uninsured.
View release
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
CMS Issues Final Rule To Empower Medicaid Beneficiaries To Direct
Personal Assistance Services
Sept. 29, 2008
A final rule that would allow more Medicaid beneficiaries to be in charge of
their own personal assistance services, including personal care services,
instead of having those services directed by an agency, was announced today by
the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
View
release
Department of Health and
Human Services
HHS Announces $36 Million to Help
Older Americans and Veterans Remain Independent
September 29, 2008
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced $36
million in new grant programs to 28 states to help older Americans and veterans
remain independent and to support people with Alzheimer’s disease to remain in
their homes and communities. Just over $19 million of this funding involves a
new collaboration with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
View
release
National Institutes of Health
Dietary Supplements Glucosamine
And/Or Chondroitin Fare No Better Than Placebo In Slowing Structural Damage Of
Knee Osteoarthritis
September 29, 2008
The dietary supplements glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, together or alone,
appeared to fare no better than placebo in slowing loss of cartilage in osteoarthritis
of the knee, researchers from the Glucosamine/chondroitin Arthritis
Intervention Trial (GAIT) team report in the October issue of "Arthritis
& Rheumatism".
View release
National Institutes of Health
Parkinson's Disease Information
Added to NIHSeniorHealth Web Site
September 29, 2008
More than half a million Americans suffer from Parkinson's disease, a brain
disorder that leads to tremor and difficulty with walking, movement, and
coordination.
View release
PR Newswire
American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging Joins the
National Healthcare Career Network as Founding Partner
September 27, 2008
In light of the critical shortage of healthcare workers, the American
Association of Homes and Services for the Aging has joined the National
Healthcare Career Network, which links the job boards of more than 85 other
healthcare associations.
View release
AARP
AARP: Anger Is Not Enough. What We Need Is Action
September 26, 2008
On behalf of AARP’s 40 million members, AARP Chief Executive Officer Bill
Novelli today issued an urgent call to the American people to demand action by
our elected leaders in Washington to
solve the current economic crisis.
View
release
AARP
AARP Rx Watchdog Report Finds Specialty Drug Prices Soar
September 25, 2008
According to a report released today by AARP, drug manufacturers have substantially
raised prices on the 144 specialty drugs most commonly used by people in
Medicare Part D.
View
release
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
CMS Reminds Medicare Beneficiaries to Review and Compare Their
Current Drug Coverage
September 25, 2008
Today, CMS Acting Administrator Kerry Weems announced the 2009 Medicare
prescription drug and Medicare Advantage plan options. Approximately 97 percent
of beneficiaries enrolled in a stand-alone prescription drug plan will have
access to Medicare drug and health plans in 2009 whose premiums would be the
same or less than their coverage in 2008.
View
release
White House
Statement on the Retirement of Dr. Elias A. Zerhouni
Sept. 24, 2008
Today, Dr. Elias A. Zerhouni announced that he will resign from his position as
Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at the end of October.
View
release
National Institutes of Health
Elias A. Zerhouni To End Tenure
As Director Of The National Institutes Of Health
September 24, 2008
Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., the director of the National Institutes of Health,
today announced his plans to step down at the end of October 2008 to pursue
writing projects and explore other professional opportunities.
View release
AARP
AARP Urges Prompt and Decisive Action on Bipartisan Legislation to
Address Financial Crisis
September 24, 2008
AARP CEO Bill Novelli sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Paulson, Chairman of
the Federal Reserve Bernanke, Senate and House leaders today encouraging
bipartisan efforts to pass a strong financial rescue package and urging them to
act quickly to bolster confidence in financial markets with the ultimate goal
of making retirement income, pensions and personal savings more secure.
View
release
Social Security Administration
Social Security Commissioner Releases New Agency Strategic Plan
Sept. 24, 2008
Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today released the agency’s
new Strategic Plan. Using the motto, “Social Security Benefits America,”
the plan identifies the challenges the agency faces and the steps needed over
the next five years to meet those challenges.
View release
Veterans Administration
VA Announces $36 Million in
Grants for Homeless Programs
September 23, 2008
Homeless veterans in 35 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico will
get more assistance, thanks to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) grants
providing $36.7 million to community groups to create 1,526 beds for homeless
veterans this year.
View release
National Committee to Preserve Social Security and
Medicare
As Wall Street Crisis Decimates Retirement Accounts, Social Security
Continues to Provide Financial Stability for Seniors
Sept. 23, 2008
As our nation's leaders prepare to spend trillions of dollars to fix a
deregulated economy run amok, it's important to remember that Social Security
provides the only consistent source of income for American retirees and their
families. According to the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and
Medicare, the administration's failed economic policies have severely
threatened seniors' income security at a time when their finances are already
strained.
View release
World Economic Forum
Scenarios for the Future of Pensions
and Healthcare in Rapidly Ageing World
September 23 2008
The world is ageing at an unprecedented rate. This will undermine the
financial sustainability of not only traditional pension systems, but also
conventional healthcare systems. A new report from the World Economic Forum
argues that urgent action in many countries around the globe is required to
meet these challenges.
View
release
Office of Inspector General
OIG Issues Memorandum
Report: "Trends in Nursing Home Deficiencies and Complaints"
Sept. 18, 2008
This memorandum report describes the
nature and extent of nursing home deficiencies and complaints in 2007 and
identifies trends from 2005 to 2007.
View report
Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services
CMS Expands Personal Health Record Pilot in South Carolina to include
data from TRICARE
September 23, 2008
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today announced an expansion
of the South Carolina Personal Health Record pilot (MyPHRSC) to include TRICARE
health data.
View release
AARP
Medicare Premium Announcement: Brief Relief for Struggling Americans,
No Time to Rest for Washington
September 19, 2008
AARP issued a statement today in response to the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services announcement of the 2009 Medicare premiums.
View
statement
A Place for Mom
A Place for Mom Offers Free Assistance to Seniors Displaced by
Hurricane Ike
September 18, 2008
A Place for Mom, the nation’s largest senior care referral service, is
available to seniors seeking relocation options in areas hit by Hurricane Ike.
View
release
Department of Justice
Medicare Strike Force Indicts 18 Los Angeles
Area Residents For Health Care Related Fraud
Sept.
18, 2008
Eighteen Los Angeles area residents have been charged in eight separate
indictments for their roles in Medicare fraud schemes totaling more than $33
million, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich of the Criminal
Division and U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Thomas P.
O’Brien announced today.
View
release
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
New CMS Initiative Helps to
Assist and Identify Individuals Who Care For Medicare Beneficiaries as
Caregivers
Sept. 18, 2008
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today launched Ask Medicare, a
new initiative to help family caregivers –those who are family members or
friends who help people with Medicare -- access and use valuable healthcare
information, services and resources.
View
release
Department of Health and Human Services
HHS Provides $121 Million in
Energy Assistance
September 17, 2008
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced the release of $121 million in
energy assistance to help eligible low-income households meet home energy
costs. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds are
expected to provide states with heating assistance for the winter months ahead.
View release
National Institutes of Health
New NIH Research Initiative to
Test Treatments for Menopausal Symptoms
September 17, 2008
Women troubled by hot flashes and night sweats during the years around
menopause want safe, effective treatment options. A new research initiative
from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will establish a multisite
research network to conduct clinical trials of promising treatments for the
most common symptoms of the menopausal transition.
View release
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Awards Food Stamp Program
Outreach Grants
September 16, 2008
The U.S. Department of Agriculture today awarded nearly $1 million to 14
faith-based and community organizations to improve access to and awareness of
USDA's Food Stamp Program.
View
release
Department of Commerce
Gutierrez Announces Nursing Homes
Residents and P.O. Box Households Eligible to Receive Converter Box Coupons
Sept. 16, 2008
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez announced today that residents
of licensed nursing homes, intermediate care facilities, assisted living
facilities and households that use a post office box for mail delivery will be
eligible to request coupons from the TV Converter Box Coupon Program. The rule
change takes effect 30 days after publication in the Federal Register.
View
release
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Medicare Issues New Rules To
Enforce Marketing Requirements During Upcoming Health And Drug Plan Enrollment
Period
Sept. 15, 2008
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today released final
regulations that will protect Medicare beneficiaries from deceptive or
high-pressure marketing tactics by private insurance companies and their agents
during the upcoming 2009 Medicare Advantage and prescription drug open
enrollment period. The regulations also include other non-marketing
related Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plan (PDP) provisions.
View
release
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
CMS Funds State Efforts To
Increase Awareness Of Home-Based Alternatives To Institutional Care
Sept. 9, 2008
Seven states today will receive a share of over $8 million in federal grants to
increase awareness of home- and community-based long-term care options for
people leaving hospitals who otherwise may enter a traditional nursing home,
CMS Acting Administrator Kerry Weems announced.
View
release
HHS
Office of Inspector General
Marketing Materials For Medicare Prescription Drug Plans
The Office of Inspector General finds that 85%
of Medicare prescription drug plan marketing materials do not meet standards
set by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
View report
Gerontological Society of America
Experts Establish Baseline for Civic Engagement Among Retirees
Sept. 3, 2008
The rise of retired people seeking active participation in their communities
has led researchers to define this new aspect of American life. As a result,
civic engagement can now be considered a distinct retirement role, according to
an article in the latest issue of The Gerontologist (Volume 48, Number
3).
View
release
The Commonwealth Fund
Extra Payments to Medicare Advantage Plans to Total $8.5 Billion in
2008
September 5, 2008
Private Medicare Advantage plans will be paid an average 12.4 percent more per
enrollee in 2008 compared to what the same enrollee would have cost in the
traditional Medicare fee-for-service program, according to a new report from
The Commonwealth Fund.
View
release
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Medicare Providers Remain
Satisfied With Fee-For-Service Contractors
Aug. 27, 2008
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reported today that Medicare
health care providers continue to be satisfied with services provided by
Medicare fee-for-service contractors showing a relatively smooth transition to
the new Medicare Administrative Contractors.
View
release
Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation
Statement Regarding Release of Census Estimates on Number of
Uninsured Americans
August 26, 2008
The federal government today announced the number of Americans living without
health insurance, with nearly 46 million people in the United
States going without any health
coverage. These men and women, and their families, gamble each day that they
won’t get ill, and often delay care, get sicker, and risk bankruptcy if they
do.
View
release
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
CMS Releases Guide To Improve Access To Navigating Medicare Requirements
For Approving Innovative Technologies
Aug. 25, 2008
Medicare beneficiaries and their health care providers may be able to take
advantage of new advances in health care more quickly because innovators now
have a new resource at their fingertips – a guide to Medicare coverage, coding,
and payment issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
View
release
AARP
Launches Four Online Health Tools To Empower Consumers To Make Informed
Choices In Care
August 22, 2008
AARP announced today that it has added four new health tools to its Web site,
to help consumers get trusted, reliable online health information.
View
release
Gerontological Society of America
Research Finds America's Elderly Suffering Abuse
Aug. 22, 2008
A new study concludes that nearly 13 percent of America's aged citizens suffer
some form of abuse. Specifically, nine percent of adults reported they have
suffered from verbal mistreatment, 3.5 percent suffer financial mistreatment,
and 0.2 percent suffer physical mistreatment.
View release
AGS Foundation for Health in Aging
Releases Comprehensive ‘Geriatrics Syndromes’ Tip Sheet for Older
Americans
Aug. 21, 2008
Many older adults will eventually develop one or more of a group of related
medical problems known as "geriatric syndromes." … The American
Geriatrics Society Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA) has released a
comprehensive and easy-to-understand tip sheet.
View
release
Certified Senior Advisors
Hurricane Fay Impact on Southeastern Coastal Florida Senior Housing
Communities
Aug. 21, 2008
View
stats
Kaiser Family Foundation
The Medicare Part D Coverage Gap: Costs and Consequences in 2007
Aug. 21, 2008
This study quantifies, for the first time, the number of Medicare Part D plan
enrollees in 2007 who reached a gap in their prescription drug coverage known
as the "doughnut hole," as well as the changes in beneficiaries' use
of medications and out-of-pocket spending after they reached that gap. … This
study of Part D prescription drug utilization finds that one in four (26%) Part
D enrollees who filled any prescriptions in 2007 reached the coverage gap.
View release
Gerontological Society of America
The Gerontological Society of America Appoints New Executive Director
Aug. 20, 2008
James Appleby, RPh, MPH, has been named the next executive director of The
Gerontological Society of America, effective October 1, 2008.
View release
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Medicare Enhances Consumer Information on Hospital Care
August 20, 2008
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced
important additions to the Hospital Compare consumer Web site (http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov/)
that will give consumers even better insight into the quality of care provided
by their local hospitals.
View
release
AARP
Millions of People with Low or Fixed Incomes Could Still Benefit from
Economic Stimulus
August 15, 2008
Only two months remain for the 5.2 million low-income individuals across the
nation to file a simple tax form and receive $300 to $600 dollars from the
Economic Stimulus program. In conjunction with National Council on Aging
(NCOA), AARP has created a tool that helps individuals fill out the tax form
they’ll need to submit to receive a payment if they are eligible. This online
tool and other materials can be found at www.aarp.org/stimulus.
View
release
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Physician Groups Earn Performance Payments for Improving Quality of Care
for Patients With Chronic Illnesses
Aug. 14, 2008
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced today that all
physician groups participating in the Physician Group Practice (PGP)
Demonstration improved the quality of care delivered to patients with
congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, and diabetes mellitus during
performance year 2 of the demonstration.
View
release
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Lower Medicare Part D Costs Than Expected in 2009
Aug. 14, 2008
As Medicare’s Part D prescription drug program enters its fourth year,
beneficiary satisfaction rates remain high, program costs remain lower than
originally expected, and Medicare prescription drug plan bids reflect
nationwide drug price trends, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
announced today.
View
release
Census Bureau
An Older and More Diverse Nation by Midcentury
Aug. 14, 2008
The nation will be more racially and ethnically diverse, as well as much older,
by midcentury, according to projections released today by the U.S. Census
Bureau.
View
release
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Experience Corps Lays Groundwork for Older Adults to Serve the
Community
The Experience Corps program mobilized the talents of older
Americans by recruiting volunteers aged 55 years or over to improve student’s
literacy skills. Starting in 1995 as a pilot project, the program placed
teams of 5–15 adults in 12 schools in low-income neighborhoods.
View
release
National Committee to Preserve Social Security and
Medicare
National Seniors Advocate Urges Presidential and Congressional
Candidates to Put an End to Polarizing Privatization Politics
Aug. 13, 2008
Social Security is not bankrupt and not in crisis; however it has been under
attack. Our members hope a new Congress and a new President will put Washington's focus back where it
should be...preserving Social Security for future generations not dismantling
the program through privatization.
View
release
AARP
AARP Poll: Fighting Gas Prices, Nearly A Third of Americans Age 50+
Hang Up Their Keys To Walk But Find Streets Inhospitable, Public Transportation
Inaccessible
August 13, 2008
A new poll by AARP finds that while many Americans ages 50+ are trying to move
away from car transportation as a result of high gas prices, their attempt to
go “green” is challenged by inadequate sidewalks and bike lanes, as well as
insufficient public transportation options.
View
release
Gerontological Society of America
Long-Term Care Workers Struggle with Elderly Population Boom
As America's aging population increases, so does its need for long-term
care. And the workers who provide these services often lack the support they
need - particularly in the area of pay and work relationships, according to
"Better Jobs Better Care: New Research on the Long-Term Care
Workforce," the latest special issue of The Gerontologist. View release
American Academy of
Neurology
Physical Frailty May be Linked to
Alzheimer’s Disease
Aug. 11, 2008
Physical frailty, which is common in older persons, may be related to
Alzheimer’s disease pathology, according to a study published in the August 12,
2008, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of
Neurology.
View
release
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Medicare Pilot Program Will Offer Beneficiaries Choices For
Maintaining Their Own Personal Health Records
August 8, 2008
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today announced a pilot
program to test options for beneficiaries with Original Medicare to maintain
their health records electronically.
View
release
Alliance for Aging Research
New Resource Focuses on the Growing Burden of Osteoporosis
Aug. 7, 2008
Today the Alliance
for Aging Research, in partnership with the National Osteoporosis Foundation,
released a new volume of The Silver Book®: Chronic Disease and Medical
Innovation in an Aging Nation.
View link
AARP
AARP Shows Which Issues are Critical to Swing Voters
August 6, 2008
AARP today released new research that defines critical, undecided “swing
voters” in 6 key states this fall as well as the specific policy options that
motivate them.
View
release
American College of Physicians
US Preventive Services Task Force Updates Prostate Cancer Screening
Recommendations
August 5, 2008
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, updating its 2002 report, now
recommends against routine prostate cancer screening for men over the age of
75.
View
release
MaturityWorks Alliance
MWA Shares New Resource
August 4, 2008
MaturityWorks Alliance has a new resource to share - the book Working
Longer: New Strategies for Managing, Training and Retaining Older Workers,
which offers a smorgasbord approach that allows employers a choice in the
way they use the untapped assets of an aging workforce.
View
release
American Academy of Actuaries
Fix Social Security, Start by Increasing Retirement Age
Aug.
4, 2008
The American Academy of
Actuaries is calling on public policymakers to immediately
address Social Security’s long-term financial issues by increasing the retirement
age to reflect increased longevity.
View release
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Medicare Increases Nursing Home Payment Rates, Recalibration Of
Resource Utilization Groups To Be Studied Further
July 31, 2008
Medicare payment rates to nursing homes will increase by $780 million next
year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced today.
View
release
Center for Budget and Policy Priorities
Medicare Changes Can Complement Health Reform
July 31, 2008
This report argues that changes to Medicare, if properly designed, can
complement health reform and that the two should be pursued
simultaneously.
View document
National Institute on Aging
Advice for Older Adults on Staying Safe in Hot Weather
July 31, 2008
The National Institute on Aging has some advice for helping older people avoid
heat problems during the summer months.
View
release
Wayne State University
New Combination of Drug Therapies Found to Significantly Lower Blood
Pressure in Blacks
July 28, 2008
A research study performed at Wayne State University has found a new
combination of drugs, a calcium blocker and an Angiotensin II Receptor blocker
(ARB), to have the most significant drop in blood pressure in the first
large-scale clinical trial in blacks.
View
release
American Health Care
Association
AHCA-Alliance Praise Bush Administration for Reversing Planned Medicare
Cuts, Protecting Seniors
July 31, 2008
The American Health Care Association and the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home
Care applaud today’s decision by the Bush Administration to reverse proposed
Medicare cuts, crediting a number of key Republican and Democratic
congressional leaders with spearheading the successful effort to avert $770
million cuts to U.S. seniors’ Medicare Part A nursing home care in FY 2009 and
more than $5 billion over five years.
View
release
American Health Care Association
AHCA/NCAL Oppose House Bill Prohibiting Pre-Dispute Agreements in
Long Term Care Settings
July 30, 2008
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living
expressed serious disappointment today that the House Judiciary Committee
reported out of committee the Fairness
in Nursing Home Arbitration Act (H.R. 6126), which would prohibit use of
pre-dispute arbitration agreements with residents of nursing facilities or
assisted living residences.
View
release
AARP
Nursing Home Arbitration Bill Needed to Protect Our Most Vulnerable
July 30, 2008
AARP issued a statement following today’s passage of the Fairness in Nursing
Home Arbitration Act (H.R. 6126) by the House Judiciary Committee.
View
statement
National Institute on Aging
Advice for Older Adults on Staying Safe In Hot Weather
Older adults are particularly at risk for developing heat-related illness
because the ability to adequately respond to summer heat can become less
efficient with age.
View release
Health Affairs
Public Sector Finances More Than Half of U.S. Health Care: Government
Financing Targets the Sickest and Oldest, Not Only the Poorest
July 29, 2008
Public spending for health care goes disproportionately to seniors and
those in poor health, but it is less concentrated among low-income Americans
than is sometimes thought.
View release
AARP
Medicare Trigger Ignores Real Problem – Skyrocketing Health Care Costs
July 24, 2008
The Medicare trigger is an unfortunate and misguided effort that could do more
harm than good. That’s why AARP supports the legislation being considered today
by the House that would delay trigger action.
View
release
American Council of Life
Insurers
ACLI Statement on Long-Term Care
Insurance Hearing
July 24, 2008
The American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI) looks forward to working with the
House Energy and Commerce Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee as it
explores consumer protections in the long-term care insurance industry.
View
Release
Urban Institute
Job Market for Aging Boomers Will Favor Brains Over Brawn
July 23, 2008
Baby boomers looking for jobs in growth fields that welcome older workers will
want to dust off their diplomas rather than their treadmills, according to a
new report from the Urban Institute.
View release
National
Association of Area Agencies on Aging
Aging Community Ramps Up Campaign To Keep America’s Older Adults
Connected During the Digital Television Transition
July 22, 2008
Today, aging and telecommunications experts sent a critical warning to the
aging community, elected officials, and caregivers about the nation’s
transition from analog to digital transmission of television signals on
February 17, 2009.
View
release
Gerontological Society of America
Gray and Green Together: Older Adults Can Play Role in Creating Healthier
Environment
July 22, 2008
Volunteering for environmental protection activities can be physically and
mentally sustaining for older people, according to the latest issue of Public
Policy & Aging Report (PPAR). In fact, this demographic group is
in a unique position to have a noticeable impact on its surroundings.
View release
Commonwealth Fund
Adding Long-Term Care Benefit to Medicare Is Best Way to Ensure
Affordability for Families, Say Health Care Opinion Leaders
July 21, 2008
Adequate financing for long-term care, improving the quality of long term care
services, and developing an adequate, skilled workforce are some of the urgent
challenges facing long-term care in the future, say four of five respondents to
the latest Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare Health Care Opinion
Leaders Survey.
View
release
Social Security Administration
Estimate Your Social Security Retirement Benefits Online Now July 21, 2008
Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today unveiled a new
online calculator at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator
that will provide immediate and personalized benefit estimates to help people
plan for their retirement.
View release
Trust
for America's Health
Investment in Disease Prevention Could Save America
More than $16 Billion in Five Years
July 17, 2008
A small strategic investment in disease prevention could result in significant
savings in U.S.health care costs, according to a new report released today by the Trust
for America's Health.
View
release
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
New Report: Investment in Disease Prevention Could Save America More
than $16 Billion in Five Years
July 17, 2008
A small strategic investment in disease prevention could result in significant
savings in U.S.
health care costs, according to a new report released today by the Trust for America’s
Health (TFAH).
View
release
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act, 2008
July 16, 2008
On July 15, 2008,
the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 was enacted,
making changes to the Medicare program. Information about some of the changes
is outlined.
View
fact sheet
Alliance
for Retired Americans
Retired Americans Outraged at Bush Veto of Medicare Bill
July 15, 2008
Through his misguided veto of the Medicare bill, President Bush is once
again reflexively siding with the special interests of the big insurance
companies, rather than with seniors struggling to afford quality health care.
View
release
American Association for Homecare
Homecare Industry Urges Congress to Overturn Veto of Medicare Bill
July 15, 2008
It is unfortunate that President Bush has chosen to veto H.R. 6331, “The
Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008.” This legislation
would save taxpayers billions of dollars through reduced spending on home
medical equipment and it would help seniors and people with disabilities to
continue receive quality home medical equipment and services through Medicare.
View
release
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Statement by Edwin Park, Senior Fellow, on the President's Veto of
the Medicare "Doctor Fix" Bill
July 15, 208
Contrary to the President’s claim today, the Medicare bill would not "harm
beneficiaries by taking private health plan options away from them."
It would merely slow the explosive growth in private fee-for-service plans, the
most overpaid and least efficient private Medicare plans.
View statement
American Academy of
Neurology
Exercise May Prevent Brain
Shrinkage in Early Alzheimer’s Disease
July 14, 2008
Mild Alzheimer’s disease patients with higher physical fitness had larger
brains compared to mild Alzheimer's patients with lower physical fitness,
according to a study published in the July 15, 2008, issue of Neurology®, the
medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
View
release
Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services
New Report Shows CMS Pilot Program Saving Nearly $700 Million In Improper
Medicare Payments
July 11, 2008
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today released a new report
offering fresh evidence that the recovery audit contractors pilot program is
successfully identifying improper payments. The findings will also help the
agency improve the program as it is expanded nationwide within two years,
officials say.
View
release
AARP
Identifying At-Risk Drivers Critical To Making Roads Safe-- But
Alternatives To Driving Also Key
July 11, 2008
In reaction to driver licensing recommendations issued by the AAA Foundation
for Traffic Safety today, AARP released the following statement from Executive
Vice President Nancy LeaMond. … We must empower safe drivers to stay on the
road for as long as possible, and we must create options for at-risk drivers so
they are free to hang up their keys without losing their mobility.
View
release
AAA Foundation for
Traffic Safety
U.S.
Safety and Mobility Crisis Looms for Aging Baby Boomers
July
8, 2008
By 2025, people aged 65 and older will account for 25 percent of U.S. drivers, yet state licensing systems and mobility
alternatives for older drivers for the most part are inadequate and
inconsistent, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety warns.
View release
View 2008
License Policies Workshop Proceedings
Alliance for Aging Research
Experts Call For New
Research Focus To Slow Aging And Extend Healthy Life
July 9, 2008
Acknowledging increases in life expectancy and unprecedented aging of
populations worldwide, experts from the United States and United Kingdom make
the case for a new model of health promotion aimed at slowing aging in humans.
View
release
National Council on Aging
NCOA Applauds Senate Passage of Medicare Bill
July 11, 2008
The U.S.
Senate made a powerful statement on behalf of older Americans yesterday.
Following the dramatic appearance of Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), 18 Republicans
joined all the Democrats in the Senate and voted in favor of for H.R. 6331, the
Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act, which protects critical
benefits for older people of limited means.
View
release
Department of Housing and Urban Development
HUD Awards More Than
$17 Million to Help Develop Housing for Very Low-Income Elderly
Senior housing developments in 30 states will receive critically needed
funding to get their projects off the ground thanks to more than $17 million in
"pre-development" grants announced today by U.S. Housing and Urban
Development Secretary Steve Preston. The grants are awarded to 63 project
sponsors under HUD's Section 202
Supportive Housing for the Elderly Program.
View
release
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Report Offers Resources for Home Health Care Response During a Flu
Pandemic
July 8, 2008
Home Health Care During an Influenza Pandemic: Issues and Resources, a
report identifying home health care as a critical component in providing care
during a pandemic influenza event and offering resources to home health care
providers and community planners to prepare for such an event, was released
today by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
View release
North
American Securities Administrators Association
New Hampshire Gov. Lynch Signs Senior Investor Protection Legislation
Into Law
July 7, 2008
New Hampshire Governor John Lynch today signed into law HB 1274, making
New Hampshire the first state to legislatively adopt provisions based on
NASAA’s Model Rule on the Use of Senior Certifications and Professional
Designations.
View
release
View
model rule
Center on Budget &
Policy Priorities
Controversial Provision of “Doctor Fix” Bill Would Improve Medicare and
Help Keep Bill Deficit-Neutral
July 7, 2008
When the Senate returns from its July 4th recess, it is expected to reconsider
H.R. 6331, the Medicare “doctor fix” bill that failed to advance by one vote
last month.
View release
National Institute on Aging
What are the Secrets of a Long
and Healthy Life? Study Seeks Long-Lived Families for Answers
July 7, 2008
More and more people are living longer. But living to extreme old age is
unusual and tends to run in some families. A new study, supported by the
National Institute on Aging, aims to learn more about the secrets to long
healthy life, and investigators are seeking long-lived families to help study
this important question.
View release
National Council on Aging
Appropriations
Committees Approve OAA Increases
July 3, 2008
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor-HHS-Education voted to increase
funding for the Administration on Aging by $79 million next year-or 5.6
percent-including $50 million more for three senior nutrition programs.
View
release
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
CMS Proposes Payment, Policy Changes for Physicians’ Services in 2009
June 30, 2008
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today proposed new efforts to
promote access to higher quality and more efficient health care delivered by
the nation’s physicians to people with Medicare under the 2009 Medicare
Physician Fee Schedule.
View
release
National Council on Aging
Low Income Beneficiaries May Lose Help
June 26, 2008
Unless the Senate acts this week to pass H.R. 6331, the National Council
on Aging (NCOA) fears that low-income Medicare beneficiaries, people who
are already struggling with increased food and gasoline costs, may lose
an important benefit. The House recently passed the bill by an overwhelming
bipartisan margin.
View
release
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
New Medicare Rule Ensures Access To Health Care For Beneficiaries In
Rural Areas
June 26, 2008
Medicare beneficiaries who live in rural and underserved areas of the United
States would be able to continue to get their health care services from Rural
Health Clinics (RHCs) whose services are tailored to meet their individual
needs under new rules proposed today by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS).
View
release
American
Medical Association
AMA Calls on U.S. Senate to Approve House-Passed Legislation To Stop
Medicare Cuts
June 25, 2008
The American Medical Association calls on the U.S. Senate to take action
this week to pass the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of
2008 (H.R. 6331) to preserve access to health care for our nation's seniors.
View statement
American Psychiatric Association
APA Hails House Action Ending 40 Years of Discrimination
June 25, 2008
The American Psychiatric Association applauds House passage of the
Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act, which overhauls key
features in Medicare coverage of treatment for mental health, most notably by reducing
the discriminatory 50 percent coinsurance patients must pay for outpatient
mental health services to the same 20 percent co-payment charged for all other
Medicare Part B services.
View
release
AARP
AARP Releases Ten Tips to Avoid Falls, Hails CDC Study
June 25, 2008
AARP welcomes today’s CDC report as a badly needed alarm warning families to
find and remove hazards that cause falls in the home. … AARP recommends the
following 10 steps to make home a safer and more comfortable place:
View
release
Center for Economic & Policy Research
Baby Boomers Face Massive Loss of Retirement Wealth Due to Housing
Market Meltdown
June 24, 2008
Former GAO Comptroller General David Walker testified today before the House
Budget Committee about a proposed commission to cut Social Security and
Medicare for future retirees. However, as Congress debates this issue, they
must take into account the financial situation of near retirees. A new report
from the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) shows that, due to the
collapse of the housing bubble, the vast majority of near retirees have
accumulated little or no wealth. This means that they will be almost completely
reliant on Social Security and Medicare to support them in their retirement
years.
View
release
National Center for State
Courts
National Center for State Courts Receives Grant to Create the Center
for Elders and the Courts
June 23, 2008
The National Center for State Courts is launching a Center for Elders and the
Courts as a result of a grant award from the Retirement Research Foundation in
Chicago.
View
release
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Traumatic Brain Injuries Can Result From Senior Falls
June 23, 2008
Traumatic brain injuries due to falls caused nearly 8,000 deaths and 56,000
hospitalizations in 2005 among Americans 65 and older, according to a new
report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released in the June
issue of the Journal of Safety Research.
View release
National Institutes of Health
Scientists Isolate a Toxic Key to Alzheimer's Disease in Human Brains
June 22, 2008
Scientists have shown that a two-molecule aggregate (or dimer) of beta-amyloid
protein fragments may play a role in initiating Alzheimer’s disease. The study,
supported by the National Institutes of Health, suggests a possible new target
for developing drug therapies to combat the irreversible and progressive
disorder.
View release
AARP
Internet Users 50+ Are Rapidly Closing the Digital Divide with
Booming Online Activity
June 19, 2008
Americans 50+ are increasingly becoming immersed in the Internet and in many
ways can be compared to users who are decades younger, according to findings
from the Center for the Digital Future released today in conjunction with AARP.
View
release
The American College of
Physicians
American College of Physicians Commends MedPAC June 2008 Report to Congress
June 20, 2008
The American College of Physicians today commended the Medicare Payment
Advisory Commission (MedPAC) for its recognition of the importance of primary
care in a well-functioning health-care delivery system in its June 2008 Report
to Congress. … ACP broadly supported a specific recommendation included in
MedPAC's report to increase Medicare Part B payments for primary care services.
View
release
Consumers Union
Consumers Union Supports Proposed Expansion of Medicare Policy to Withhold
Payments to Hospitals That Harm Patients
June 19, 2008
The federal government should expand its effort to restrict Medicare
payments to hospitals for the cost of health care associated with certain
infections and medical errors acquired during treatment, according to Consumers
Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports.
View
release
America's Health
Insurance Plans
Seniors Oppose Cutting Medicare Advantage to Fund Physician Payment
Fix
June 19, 2008
Most seniors -- regardless of whether
they are enrolled in traditional Medicare or Medicare Advantage -- oppose
cutting the Medicare Advantage program to fund the Medicare physician payment
fix and believe cuts to Medicare Advantage will have a negative effect on
seniors, a new survey finds.
View
release
National Council on Aging
NCOA Calls on IRS to Reach Out to Low-Income Seniors
June 19, 2008
The National Council on Aging urges the IRS to immediately redouble its efforts
to reach the 5.2 million people eligible for economic stimulus payments but who
have not yet filed. … t is critical IRS connect with the approximate 26% who
have not yet filed for the payment.
View
statement
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
CMS to Rate Nursing Home Quality; New “Five-Star”
System to be Added to Nursing Home Compare Site
June 18, 2008
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today announced it will
soon launch a ground-breaking ranking system of America’s nursing homes,
giving each a “star” rating.
View
release
American Bankers
Association
Ninety-One Percent Of Seniors Have Not Paid Overdraft Fees
June 18, 2008
A vast majority of Americans aged 55 and over – 91 percent – have not
paid overdraft fees in the last year, according to a survey conducted by
Ipsos-Reid for the American Bankers Association.
View
release
Center for Responsible
Lending
Unauthorized Bank and Credit Union Overdraft Fees Threaten Financial
Security of Older Americans
June 18, 2008
Americans 55 and over pay $4.5 billion in fees annually for overdraft loans
they haven't asked for and typically don't want, a new study by the Center for
Responsible Lending finds. Of that, nearly $1 billion is stripped from people
heavily dependent on Social Security income.
View
release
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Long Term Care Facilities Across America to Protect Residents with Full
Sprinkler Systems
June 18, 2008
Long term care facilities such as nursing homes across America will, for the
first time, have to protect their residents by installing sprinkler systems
throughout their buildings if they wish to continue to serve Medicare and
Medicaid beneficiaries, under a new regulation to be issued by the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services. Facilities will have a five-year phase-in
period to be fully compliant with the new rule.
View
release
Administration on Aging
AoA Provides Disaster Assistance to Iowa Department of Elder Affairs
June 17, 2008
HHS Assistant Secretary for Aging Josefina G. Carbonell today announced the
award of $50,000 to the Iowa Department of Elder Affairs to assist older
individuals and families impacted by record flooding, which began in May 2008.
View
release
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
June 17, 2008
Third Year of Groundbreaking Medicare Value-Based Purchasing Demonstration
Shows Substantial and Continual Improvement in Hospital Inpatient Care
Latest results of the Premier Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration show
dramatic across-the-board improvement in the performance of participating
hospitals. Launched in October 2003 by the Centers for Medicare
& Medicaid Services and the Premier Inc. Healthcare Alliance, HQID involves
about 250 hospitals in 36 states.
View
release
AARP
Bankruptcy Rates Rise Among Older Americans
June 17, 2008
With more than a million people filling for bankruptcy in 2007, a new study by
Elizabeth Warren, a Leo Gottlieb Professor of Law at the Harvard Law School who
compiled the study for AARP’s Public Policy Institute shows that the rate of
bankruptcy filings among those 65 and older has more than doubled since 1991.
View
release
Society for
Neuroscience
NIMAL Study Indicates Grape Seed Extract May Reduce Cognitive
Decline Associated With Alzheimer’s Disease
June 17, 2008
A compound found in grape seed extract reduces plaque formation and resulting
cognitive impairment in an animal model of Alzheimer’s disease, new research
shows. The study appears in the June 18 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.
View release
Alliance for Aging Research
Experts Call For Investing In Longevity Science To Bolster Older
Americans’ Contributions
June 13, 2008
With the nation’s economy uppermost in many Americans’ minds, the Alliance
for Aging Research explores the economic benefits from increased investment in
longevity science in its most recent podcast series.
View
release
AARP
AARP ‘Troubled’ by Senate’s Vote to Block Medicare Improvements
June 12, 2008
Partisanship and inaction continued to grip the Senate today, derailing a
bipartisan bill to improve Medicare for millions of older Americans. … we are
troubled that people in Medicare will once again see negative consequences
because of partisan gridlock.
View
statement
National Council on Aging
Statement on Failure of Baucus Medicare Bill in Senate
June 12,
2008
The National Council on Aging is deeply disappointed in the failure of
the cloture vote on Medicare legislation proposed by Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT). The
vote represents a troubling defeat for America's
poor seniors in greatest need.
View statement
Alzheimer’s Association
Alzheimer’s Disease Supersedes Diabetes as Sixth Leading Cause of
Death in the United States
June 12, 2008
Alzheimer’s disease is now the sixth leading cause of death in the United
States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
National Center for Health Statistics.
View
release
National
Council on Aging
NCOA and Aging Coalition Members Call for Support of Baucus Medicare
Bill
June 11, 2008
The National Council on Aging strongly supports the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (S. 3101),
sponsored by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT). NCOA and a
broad array of national organizations representing over 40 million seniors are
urging Senators to vote to support the bipartisan Baucus Medicare bill,
scheduled for a cloture vote on June 12.
View
release
View
bill summary
NAVA, Association for Insured Retirement Solutions
Boomers Not Following Retired Parents’
Example of Saving, Debt Avoidance; But More Comfortable with Investment Risk
and New Financial Vehicles
June 10, 2008
NAVA, the Association for Insured Retirement Solutions, released “Generational
Differences in Retirement Planning (GDRP): Adult Children of Retired Parents,”
a study which revealed that baby boomers are failing to follow the
tried-and-true retirement planning.
View
release
American Physical Therapy
Association
Study Shows That A Regular Exercise Program Can Help Delay Aging
June 9, 2008
A recent study showing that maintaining aerobic fitness through middle age
could delay biological aging by 12 years underscores the benefits of
incorporating even a modest exercise program into one's daily routine,
emphasizes the American Physical Therapy Association.
View
release
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Medicare Announces Additional Funding For Health Insurance Counseling
Programs For 2008
June 6, 2008
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced that an
additional $15 million will be distributed to State Health Insurance Assistance
Programs (SHIPs) to help people with Medicare get more information about their
health care choices.
View
release
American Geriatrics Society
20 US Residency Programs to Participate in Program for Preparing
Surgical and Other Specialty Residents to Care for Older Patients
June 5, 2008
The American Geriatrics Society has awarded 20 medical school and hospital
residency programs two-year Geriatrics Education for Specialty Residents grants
aimed at better preparing surgical and related medical specialty residents to
care for the nation's rapidly increasing population of older adults.
View
release
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
CMS Outlines Rights Of Medicare Hospice Patients
June 3, 2008
Medicare beneficiaries with terminal illnesses have their right to determine
how they receive end-of-life care outlined for the first time in a new
regulation soon to be published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services.
View
release
Department of Health and Human Services
HHS and National Service Team Up to Increase Volunteering Among Baby
Boomers and Older Americans
June 2, 2008
Recognizing the extraordinary potential for social good among baby boomers and
older Americans, the Corporation for National and Community Service and the
Administration on Aging (AoA) yesterday unveiled a multi-year partnership to
engage baby boomers and older adults in addressing the needs of vulnerable
populations through volunteer service.
View
release
Financial Industry
Regulatory Authority
FINRA Warns Investors: Don't "Swipe" Out Your Retirement
Savings With 401(k) Debit Cards May 29, 2008
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority today warned investors about
the potential pitfalls of using 401(k) debit cards to borrow money from their
retirement funds.
View
release
Administration on Aging
HHS Announces Historic Partnership to Increase Volunteerism Among
Baby Boomers and Older Americans
May 29, 2008
HHS Assistant Secretary for Aging Josefina G. Carbonell will join Corporation
for National and Community Service CEO David Eisner to launch a landmark
partnership that will create new and more opportunities for volunteerism and
civic engagement among baby boomers and older Americans. The formal Memorandum
of Understanding between the two federal agencies will be signed before an
audience of 1,500 Senior Corps project directors and sponsors attending the
National Conference on Volunteering and Service on Sunday, June 1, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia.
View
release
Harvard School of Public Health
Active Social Life May Delay Memory Loss among U.S.
Elderly Population
May 29, 2008
Harvard School of Public Health researchers found evidence that elderly
people in the U.S.
who