House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) released his budget for FY 2014 this week. The Ryan FY 2014 budget is very similar to his budget proposals from years past and recommends significant reforms to Medicare and Medicaid. The proposal would balance the budget by 2023, cut $4.6 trillion in a decade, and leaves the sequester in place. The Ryan Budget recommends spending $41 trillion over the next decade, which is approximately $5 trillion less than would be spent under the current Obama Administration policies. Congressman Ryan proposes to “simplify the tax code to make it fairer to American families…
Are you or an elderly loved one receiving benefits from Medicare or Medicaid? If yes, then likely you already appreciate the funding problems facing Congress and its appointed “super committee” regarding the future of these programs. However, for many of today’s elderly, certain changes to these programs may be real and immediate. As a result, careful attention to the associated political developments is important. One area of specific focus is “dual-eligibles.” Seniors receiving aid from both Medicare and Medicaid are so-called “dual-eligibles” and, as such, their benefits are under scrutiny from the super committee. In fact, changes may be in…
In a study in the journal Health Affairs, that expansion of home-based care can save states money over the long run. The paper looked at Medicaid data from 1995 to 2005. States incurred extra cost when they spent to create new social service programs to care for people at home, but that expense, over time, paid for itself because it was cheaper to care for people at home. Policymakers often cite the "woodwork effect" as a reason to worry about expanding home-based care. This is the argument that if states provided people what they want — home-based care — then…
Click here to review Members of Congress Discuss Importance of Advocacy for people with dementia. You can make up your own mind about this, I have my opinion but can't print it. Give me your thoughts and comments, and maybe we can send Congress our "Advocacy" !!!!
Frederick, MD 
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