Health and Disability

from Huffington Post: 



The good news is that Americans are living longer than they have previously.
The bad news is that our nation's financial and health-care systems are woefully unprepared for them.

What's worse, neither presidential candidate seems to be giving it much thought.
U.S. Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama may spar over Social Security and tinker around the edges of entitlement programs Americans know best, but neither has a serious plan to stabilize our retirement foundation to provide a true safety net for the elderly.

Norman DeLisle, MDRC
"With Liberty and Access for All!"
GrandCentral: 517-589-4081
MDRC Website: http://www.copower.org/
LTC Blog: http://ltcreform.blogspot.com/
Recovery: http://therecoveringlife.blogspot.com/

from Medpage Today: 


WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 -- Long-term care seems to be a poor stepchild in the healthcare-reform debate.

So suggested Susan Dentzer, editor-in-chief of Health Affairs, who moderated a symposium here on how to provide and pay for long-term care for those with chronic diseases.

According to Dentzer, neither major presidential candidates has addressed the issue of how to pay for the 12 million elderly Americans who require some form of long-term care -- defined as any social or medical services for people with chronic disease.

As the nation's 78 million baby boomers continue to age, the number of elderly people requiring long-term care will only increase and is expected to reach 20 million, according to Genworth Financial, a long-term care insurance provider that sponsored the event.

Norman DeLisle, MDRC
"With Liberty and Access for All!"
GrandCentral: 517-589-4081
MDRC Website: http://www.copower.org/
LTC Blog: http://ltcreform.blogspot.com/
Recovery: http://therecoveringlife.blogspot.com/

WHAT:        

Genworth Financial’s third annual National Long Term Care Symposium will spotlight the Presidential candidates’ views on LTC policy for the mature market and an aging nation.

WHEN:        

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2008
 9:00 – 11:30 a.m.  (Breakfast will be served)

WHERE:                

SENATE BUILDING DIRKSEN, Room G-50
200 Second Street NE, Washington, DC
(Northeast of the Capitol, adjoining the Hart Senate Office Building)

WHO:          

DEB WHITMAN: Staff Director, Senate Special Committee on Aging and advisor to Obama for President campaign

JAY KHOSLA: Healthcare Policy Advisor, John McCain for President

BUCK STINSON: President, Genworth Financial Long-term Care Division

SUSAN DENTZER, Editor-in-Chief, Health Affairs, will serve as moderator

The event will also include a second panel discussion with members of congress and speakers from policy institutions including The CATO Institute, Third Way, Heritage Foundation and The Center for American Progress

WHY:          

With nearly 80 million Americans approaching retirement age, and one-half of seniors likely to require long term care at some point in their lives, the discussion on how to pay for that care is becoming increasingly urgent.

Norman DeLisle, MDRC
"With Liberty and Access for All!"
GrandCentral: 517-589-4081
MDRC Website: http://www.copower.org/
LTC Blog: http://ltcreform.blogspot.com/
Recovery: http://therecoveringlife.blogspot.com/
Change: http://prosynergypsc.blogspot.com/

from Hollis Turnham:

I thought you all would be interested in a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine on long term care and the presidential election.

http://content.nejm.org/cgi<wbr>/reprint/358/19/1985.pdf

According to an article from AARP, and number of the current political candidates are caregivers themselves.

For example, Hillary Clinton’s mother lives with her in her Washington, DC home, and, Elizabeth Edwards, wife of American Democratic presidential hopeful, John Edwards has aging parents in long term care.

I have no idea how that fact may or may not shape their policies, but, I like seeing how they are real people who face some of the same things we do. Even though they may have more resources than we regular folks have, there is a universal emotional and time impact that caring for an aging parent enacts.