Click here to read "Nursing Homes Changes Sought: Democrats Propose Millions to Fund New Staffing Rules" an article that appeared in The Hartford Courant on March 27. In the piece, Toby Edelman, senior policy attorney at the Center for Medicare Advocacy, said setting staff-to-resident ratios is the best route to ensuring adequate care. Pouring more money into nursing homes without setting ratios doesn't work to increase staffing levels, she said.
 

Click here to read "Legislators want to add $9.5M for nursing home staff" an article that appeared in The New Haven Register on March 27.  The piece cites Toby Edelman who said higher staffing levels at nursing homes translates to better care. "Facilities with higher levels of staffing have fewer injuries, have less turnover of employees," Edelman said.
 

Click here to read "Dems hope to secure better nursing homes" an article that appeared in the Meriden Record-Journal on March 26.  According to the article, a proposed plan from Democrats in Connecticut would provide $9.5 million in fiscal year 2008-09 to raise the minimum staff-to-resident ratio in nursing homes.  The article cites Toby Edelman, a senior policy attorney for Center for Medicare Advocacy, saying that adequate nursing staff is critical to providing good care. "We need more staffing in nursing homes, and we believe this legislation is the best way to get there," Edelman said.
 

Click here to read "Democrats say their budget spends less than Rell's plan" an article that appeared in the Boston Globe on March 25.  According to the piece, Senator Max Baucus said that he wants to cut subsidies that are now going to private insurance companies that sell private Medicare plans.  Judy Stein said she welcomed Baucus's comments, adding such over-payments threaten the future of Medicare itself.

Click here to read "Baucus tackles cuts in subsidies for Medicare Advantage" an article that appeared in the Helena Independent Record on March 23.  According to the piece, Senator Max Baucus said that he wants to cut subsidies that are now going to private insurance companies that sell private Medicare plans.  Judy Stein said she welcomed Baucus' comments, adding such over-payments threaten the future of Medicare itself.
 

Click here to read "Understanding Medicare options" an article that appeared in The Forest Blade on March 19. The piece explains Medicare's many choices and plans for readers in East Georgia, and cites the Center for Medicare Advocacy as a resource for readers navigating the Medicare maze.
 

Click here to read "Gray Matters: Patients restrained, greed isn't" an article that appeared in Newsday on March 15.  According to the piece, "Although much of the money paid to nursing homes comes from Medicaid and Medicare, the government often has no idea where and to whom these proceeds go."  Friedman cites Toby Edelman of the Center for Medicare Advocacy, who points out that nursing homes owned by Manor Care Inc., the nation's largest nursing homes chain, were among the facilities recently cited as deficient by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In December, Manor Care was acquired by the Carlyle Group for $6.3 billion. Manor Care's former chief executive got as much as $186 million when his company was sold. According to Edelman, "Manor Care's 278 nursing homes could hire an additional 5,346 certified nurse aides or an additional 2,198 registered nurses [with that money]. Like all nursing home chains, most of Manor Care's revenues come from Medicare and Medicaid. How should our public dollars be spent? On one man's windfall, or certified nursing assistants and registered nurses in nursing homes?"
 

Click here to read "Extension Medicare program educates seniors" an article that appeared in the North Platte Telegraph on March 10. The piece focuses on a local program to help seniors understand the various options under Medicare Part D.  It cites the Center for Medicare Advocacy Web site as a source for information about the 2003 Medicare Reform Act. The article says the Act restructured the Medicare program and provided Medicare beneficiaries with some limited assistance paying for prescription drugs.
 

Click here to read "For Medicare, 'modernization' means 'destruction'" a commentary by Judith Stein that appeared on Neiman Watchdog on March 10.  According to Stein, a critical question that reporters must consider is, "Will we keep giving away public money to private industry rather than toward necessary health care for older and disabled people?"  Stein says that little has been written in the mainstream media about the Administration's persistent, remarkably successful effort to privatize Medicare. She says this story should be reported because traditional Medicare is almost universally cherished by Americans of all ages, on a level with Social Security.  In addition, the 2003 Medicare "Modernization" law was a major step toward the destruction of traditional Medicare; the 2003 law created an exclusively private prescription drug program, dramatically expanded the role of private Medicare plans, and authorized hundreds of billions of dollars to implement this move toward privatizing Medicare.

Click here to read "Low Risk, Heavy Drugs; State's Nursing Homes Might be Overusing Antipsychotics" an article that appeared in the Hartford Courant on March 2.  The piece describes how Connecticut's nursing homes dole out antipsychotic drugs to residents who do not have psychotic disorders at one of the highest rates in the country.  Toby Edelman of the Center for Medicare Advocacy is cited in the article, saying that in the 20 years since the Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987 (which mandates that residents be free from "chemical restraints" imposed for the purposes of discipline or convenience) was passed, the industry has focused more on reducing the prevalence of physical restraints than on limiting chemical restraints.  A high prevalence of antipsychotic use in a nursing home can be an indicator of inadequate staffing.
 

Click here to read "Gray Matters: Federal health programs for the poorest elderly" an article that appeared in Newsday on March 1. The piece says that millions of older Americans are truly and desperately poor.  Many need extra help because of the higher costs for Medicare, and this column explores some special programs for the lowest-income beneficiaries.  Friedman lists the programs and their eligibility levels, citing the Center for Medicare Advocacy as the source for his information.

Click here to read "Gray Matters: Federal health programs for the poorest elderly" by Saul Friedman, from Newsday on February 29.   The article describes the impoverished conditions that afflict many of our nation's elders, and details programs that can help with health care costs, using information supplied by the Center for Medicare Advocacy.
 

Click here to read "Clauses in nursing home agreements may violate the law" an article that appeared in the Kansas City Star on February 2. The piece describes a new study which raised questions about how some nursing homes operate.  The article says elderly consumers and their families in Missouri should be wary when signing long and often complex nursing home agreements.  Toby Edelman of the Center for Medicare Advocacy is cited in the article, saying similar studies in other states also show "ongoing concerns" with nursing home agreements.
 

Click here to read "Old story: Hoping to age in place" an article that appeared in the Chicago Sun Times on February 1.  The piece focuses on the dilemma of the "Sandwich Generation:" adult children struggling to maintain their own homes and lives while helping their parents live out their lives at home, rather than in managed care.  The article says that for people searching for how best to approach helping their parents age well, or for those approaching their senior years and wanting to plan, Judith Stein of the Center for Medicare Advocacy, suggests seeking assistance from a qualified elder law attorney.  She says, "The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys is a good source." Elder care attorneys are familiar with Medicare and Medicaid rules and can guide caregivers through other financial options such as long-term care insurance and reverse mortgages.