OUR BLOG

September 29, 2016
2

New Legislation in Congress Seeks to Bolster Access to Medicare for Low-Income Seniors and Persons with Disabilities

By | BLOG, HOMEPAGE
By Directing Attorney of Health Jennifer Goldberg and Borchard Fellow Catherine Bourque

Sandy had a good job as a registered nurse, and a middle class standard of living. She lost her husband and her ability to work her physically demanding job around the same time, leaving her with no income. Because of her job as a nurse, she receives just enough Social Security to be disqualified from means-based assistance like Medicaid and subsidized housing. As a result she spends a large percentage of her monthly income on rent, leaving little money to cover food or her Medicare copayments and premiums. Read More

September 26, 2016
0

But What Does the Census Say about Senior Poverty?

By | BLOG, HOMEPAGE, SENIOR POVERTY, Social Security, Supplemental Security Income
Take a quick look at the official numbers, and you might think the Census Bureau’s recent release of poverty statistics for 2015 is all good news. The official poverty rate for seniors decreased 1.2 percentage points to 8.8%, and the median household income increased 4.3%, to $38,515. We saw decreases in the poverty rates for African American, Hispanic, and Asian seniors as well. With all these positive numbers it’s easy to believe that everything is going well, and poverty is becoming less of a problem. Read More

September 20, 2016
3

Cal MediConnect: A Long Way to Go

By | Affordable Care Act, BLOG, DUAL DEMONSTRATIONS, DUAL ELIGIBLES, Health Care, HOMEPAGE, Medicaid, Medicare
Evaluation and enrollment data on the Cal MediConnect program reveals that the program has a long way to go to deliver on the promise of integrated person-centered care. While the data contains some promising trends, it also reveals serious deficiencies that demand focused attention from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS).

The Cal MediConnect (CMC) program, which created new health plans integrating Medicare and Medi-Cal benefits for dually eligible beneficiaries, has been in effect for over two years in seven California counties. Enrollment data released by DHCS and a recent series of evaluations, including surveys, focus groups, and polling, paint a picture of how the program is performing and how enrollees are faring so far. Read More

September 9, 2016
0

Social Security’s Operating Budget At-Risk for Even More Cuts

By | BLOG, HOMEPAGE, Social Security, Supplemental Security Income
Just imagine it: you are a senior who just received a notice from the Social Security Administration that your only source of income, your meager Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, are going to be cut off next month. When you call Social Security’s 800 number to get an explanation, you get a busy signal. When you go to the local Social Security office to file an appeal of the decision, the line stretches out the door with no place for you to sit while you wait for hours to speak with someone. Your stress level rises while you face the prospect of having no income to meet your basic needs. Read More

August 31, 2016
1

New Medicare Fact Sheets for LGBTQ People

By | BLOG, Health Care, Health Disparities, HOMEPAGE, LGBT, Medicaid, Medicare
Ever since the Supreme Court first overturned the federal Defense of Marriage Act in 2013 and then, in 2015, making same-sex marriage legal in every state, there has been a flood of changes in how government programs address the needs of LGBT individuals. For people who qualify for Medicare, there are many important changes:

  • Married same sex couples now have coverage for Medicare and Medicaid under the same rules as opposite-sex married couples.
  • Transgender individuals have protection from discriminatory treatment in health care.

Read More

August 4, 2016
3

Protecting Vulnerable Adults: Making Improvements to SSA’s Representative Payee Program

By | BLOG, HOMEPAGE, SENIOR POVERTY, Social Security, Supplemental Security Income
Currently, there are over 10 million older adults who rely exclusively on Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits to meet their daily housing, food, and medical needs. For many individuals over the age of 65, SSI benefits are their only source of income available. There is no doubt that every single penny of their modest $733 monthly benefit amount is needed to make ends meet. Due to increasing awareness of financial elder abuse and cognitive impairments—such as Alzheimer’s—more seniors are looking to additional supports to help them manage their own benefits. Read More

July 26, 2016
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Improving the Oral Health of California’s Older Adults

By | BLOG, DUAL ELIGIBLES, Health Disparities, HOMEPAGE, Oral Health

Justice in Aging is excited to launch a new project: Improving Oral Health of California’s Older Adults. Oral health is a critical aspect of overall health for people of all ages, but especially for older adults. Unfortunately, the oral health needs of older adults, and particularly low-income older adults, in California have been neglected. As a result, older adults encounter significant challenges when attempting to access oral healthcare and consequently experience severe mouth pain, tooth loss, and the worsening of chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and diabetes.

Read More

June 27, 2016
2

July 5: Immediate Changes to Medicaid Managed Care

By | BLOG, Health Care, HOMEPAGE, Language Access, LGBT, Long Term Care, Medicaid
On July 5, the first wave of new Medicaid managed care regulation requirements go into effect. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published the final Medicaid managed care rule this spring, introducing sweeping changes to how the federal government will regulate the entities that manage long-term services and supports (LTSS). While many of regulation’s big ticket items will be implemented over the course of the year, a few important pieces go live this summer. Justice in Aging will discuss these changes in a free webinar on June 30. Here’s a short list of some of the items we’ll be discussing. Read More

June 15, 2016
1

Four Ways Elder Financial Abuse Leads to Medicaid Denials and How Legal Aid Can Help

By | BLOG, Health Care, HOMEPAGE
Today, June 15, is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Financial exploitation is one of the most common forms of elder abuse, with studies showing that 1 in 20 older adults are currently experiencing financial exploitation.  Financially exploited older adults may have significant problems getting needed health care and long-term services and supports through Medicaid. Read More

June 13, 2016
1

Aging, Women and Poverty in California: A forum to discuss the needs of older Californians

By | BLOG, Health Care, HOMEPAGE, SENIOR POVERTY
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“It is imperative we separate the insidiousness of economic inequality from the value and purposefulness of those living in poverty.”

Paul Downey, Chair California Commission on Aging and President/CEO, Serving Seniors
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“Sixty-six percent of seniors in poverty are women, women who cared for us, clothed us, housed us…it is immoral…we must do more.”

California State Senator Kevin de León
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“We must invest in the social safety net.”

Denise Likar, Independence at Home
Read More

June 6, 2016
0

Class action settlement about ALJ hearing delays for Medicare beneficiaries amended- Fairness Hearing rescheduled for August 1, 2016

By | BLOG, Health Care, HOMEPAGE, LITIGATION, Medicare
As previously reported, the Center for Medicare Advocacy filed Exley v. Burwell on behalf of Plaintiffs appealing Medicare denials before an Administrative Law Judge and not receiving decisions within the 90 days required by law. The Fairness Hearing has been rescheduled for August 1, 2016. Read More