Medicaid is slashed by $800 billion, and Medicare and Social Security are threatened. Medicaid funds nursing home care and funding for more affordable health insurance coverage, when not covered by your employer.…
Medicaid is slashed by $800 billion, and Medicare and Social Security are threatened. Medicaid funds nursing home care and funding for more affordable health insurance coverage, when not covered by your employer.…
The survey of registered voters 40 and older in New York’s rural areas mirrors findings of AARP New York’s other caregiving surveys. More than 70 percent of rural caregivers reported being stressed. Of the 70 percent who work, 62 percent have adjusted their schedules, 19 percent dropped to part-time and 13 percent left jobs to help an older loved one at home. …
At the start of 2024, Medicare slashed payments for a major segment of home medical equipment providers by 20 percent. These rates—already too low before this year’s cuts—now fall catastrophically short of market realities. A perfect storm of supply chain disruptions, rising fuel costs for equipment delivery and service calls...…
A recent national news report revealed that physicians are quitting nationwide, said to be demoralized by the current state of the healthcare system. In the days and weeks before I wrote this “Partial Observer,” 117,000 physicians reportedly left their professions across the U.S., with projections that one in five will soon be stepping away.…
SERVICES—2-4 p.m. Q&A with the Otsego County Office for the Aging on programs, services, Medicare and Medicaid insurance, and more. Held 2nd Tuesday of each month. Springfield Library, 129 County Highway 29A, Springfield. (315) 858-5802 or visit http://libraries.4cls.org/springfield/…
...I live with a great respect for COVID, and a belief that we, as humans, understand so little about COVID that to pretend otherwise is dangerous and ill-advised. In addition to trying to still manage my spatial relationship with individuals and crowds, I carry a mask on me at all times, and wear it often. I wear my mask to help protect me, and I wear my mask to help protect you. I also wear my mask in solidarity with…
Some who come from traditional businesses have a hard time understanding that most CBOs do not make a “margin” from the provision of services. Even large non-profits, such as hospitals and health systems, struggle to make a margin and rely upon grants and fundraising, especially in New York.…
LETTER from ERIC DOHNER Where Was Trump In Virtual Medicine? To the Editor: In his column, “Life in the Time of Covid-19,” Richard Sternberg forgets to credit the person responsible for making Medicare, Medicaid and all insurers pay for virtual visits – Donald Trump. The former president also required the states to accept virtual doctor visits across state lines, which was a huge stumbling block for online medical care. ERIC DOHNER Binghamton…
LETTER from RICHARD STERNBERG The Doctor Will View You Now On a recent morning, I had a first visit/consultation with a physician from Columbia-Presbyterian in New York City. In going to the city and back to Cooperstown, Columbia presents a special challenge to me. It is a difficult facility to maneuver through under fully normal conditions and these times aren’t normal. It would have required driving about four hours each way and maybe even an overnight stay. Both the physician…
LETTER from STEPHEN HANSE Underunding Led To Nursing-Home Crisis When it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic, one thing is consistent – politicians are placing blame for the effects of the virus at the feet of other politicians, policymakers and providers, but nobody is focusing blame for the consequences of the virus where it truly belongs, with: • The virus itself • The state’s “hospital-centric” approach to combatting the virus and • Historic underfunding of long-term care. At the onset of…