Healthcare, Senior Living, Economics
TGIF! On a calendar year basis, we are into the home stretch for 2023. It’s generally about now that I start looking at how 2024 is shaping up. What trends are there to watch? What do markets look like now, socially and economically? What does policy and politics tell us about the year to come? … Read more
Seema Verma, former CMS head, spoke out yesterday regarding the proposed staffing mandate (hours and type of staff, per resident per day) proposed rule, indicating her opinion that the approach was flawed. A recap article on her comments is here: https://www.mcknights.com/news/former-cms-chief-verma-regulators-over-their-skis-with-staffing-mandate/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NWLTR_MLT_DAILYUPDATE_110223&hmEmail=IjP1GPaY%2BJ2uvsLxTJ79bVeRWY7ycbnr&sha256email=aa4cb7c695037c31a216b9562788596b6fcd012145d566f31440b6fcd139c8a9 Regular readers know that I have covered various topics on healthcare staffing, particularly as … Read more
In yesterday’s post, Mish-Mash Monday, in the section about the House Budget Committee’s Health Care Task Force, I offered some commentary regarding MedPAC (Medicare Payment Advisory Commission) and Medicare Advantage plans. I also included a letter from the senior living trade association LeadingAge to the Congressional task force that references MedPAC’s concerns regarding Medicare Advantage … Read more
There is a constant discussion within the senior housing/senior living industry about the impact Baby Boomers will have on the industry. Their numbers (boomers) are huge (hence the name, “boomers”). The Baby Boom generation name is reflective of the post-WWII period of 1946 to 1964. During this period, families grew rapidly having two or more … Read more
This topic fits a line from the old police serials of my younger days. These are the favorites I watched religiously like Adam-12, the Rookies, The FBI, etc. The line, generally at a crime scene: Move on folks, nothing to see here. That line fits today’s topic. The mid-year report illustrated softness in activity principally … Read more
With occupancy rebounding to pre-pandemic levels and demand remaining strong, CCRCs/Life Plan Communities continue to face economic headwinds from capitalizing on improving market conditions. Capital costs continue to rise making borrowing money a challenge or alternatively, perhaps adding additional debt service costs if existing debt is variable. Accessing capital is nearly imperative for most CCRCs/Life … Read more
Medicare Advantage plans or Medicare Part C and D plans continue to grow in popularity. I’ve written a number of posts on various Medicare Advantage topics, of late, coverage issues and denials, particularly for post-acute care stays. A recent post on that topic is here: https://wp.me/ptUlY-wI Medicare Advantage plans (Part C plans) include Parts A, … Read more
On Friday, I wrote about the explosion of COVID litigation in health care and senior living, especially that which is challenging federal immunity under the PREP Act and cases challenging insurance coverage for business interruption coverage resultant from COVID remediation policies (business closure, school closures, vaccine requirements, etc.). Today’s post is a bit more focused … Read more
Lately, I’ve gotten quite a bit of 70s (1970s) deja vu. Yes, I’m old enough to vividly remember the 70s as I crossed the decade as a teenager, graduating high school and almost, college. If one has my memories, the 70s were pretty turbulent times, analogous to now. In 1973, Israel and the Arab (Egypt … Read more
Yesterday we got a good look at the status of the SNF industry via a data report from CLA. Today, as the week ends, we can look at the broad industry as a whole and where occupancies are trending. NIC (National Investment Center) released its occupancy snapshot for senior living for Quarter 3. That summary … Read more