How Do You See the Issue Affecting New York City in the Next Five Years - Term Paper Example

number With Medicaid, Long-Term Care of Elderly Looms as a Rising Cost By Nina Bernstein Published: September 6, 2012 New York Times This article falls under money and policy on New York Times and talks about Medicaid, which is a government paid help for the elderly. It is devised to aid thousands of middle class persons with needs for a long-term care in a nursing home or at home that outlives their resources. The writer, Bernstein, states that elders and their families may end up spending more eventually if the proposed changes such as replacement of Medicaid with block grants take effect. These grants are meant to cut outlay by a third. This must have ensued after the former president Bill Clinton stated in his convention speech that Medicaid expenditure on the elderly accounts for over a third. This new bill proposed by the republicans will permit states to change the minimum eligibility, canons of care, as well as federal rules, which now safeguard adult children from being charged for their seniors’ Medicare. The official election may resolve Medicaid’s future. Nevertheless, many federations challenged with escalating Medicaid rates and budget shortfalls are now trying to cutback the budget of lifetime care by greatly altering Medicare coverage by using federal waivers. Waivers taken or obtained by twenty six states, comprising California, New York, Illinois, Texas and Illinois, would affect nearly three million persons, most of who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. Lastly, the suggest that plans vary; nonetheless, typically they attempt to cut down costs by offering private managed-care establishments a fixed figure for a long term of care from hospital visits and doctor to nursing home settlement to aid at home, supposing that adequate care will occur in less costly settings. Hospice and Its Costs June 27, 2011, 1:14 pm By The New York Times This article provides an insight on the fact that hospice care bill is increasing at an astounding pace, and it has stimulated charges that most benefactors, especially commercial corporations which are incongruously enrolling patients. This, according to the article, can be explained by moving of hospice into the mainstream where it is currently serving about 1.1 million Medicaid patients annually. This has resulted in mounted concerns concerning excessive costs and misappropriation. The article claims that for the 28 + years that Medicare has recompensed benefactors for hospice provisions, it has, however, been acclaimed for providing critical health and emotional aid to dying patients as well as their families. Proper use of hospice care can save the government money. Studies have revealed that affording dying patients comforting care within their own households, or within a hospice institution or a nursing home, is by far less costly than keeping on ordering up fruitless medical treatments. The article reveals that 4 in 10 Medicare recipients now utilize the hospice aid before they pass on. Patients consent to foregoing remedies aimed at extending their lives though can obtain pain-relieving drugs to relieve symptoms of a fatal illness, in addition to care from nurses and social workers. The article state that Medicare’s expenditure for hospice care amounted to $12 billion by 2009 from 2000’s $2.9 billion. Though the aid is projected for patients with six months or less to live, nineteen percent currently receive hospice facilities for longer, conferring to MedPAC (Medicare Payment Advisory Commission), a self-governing Congressional oversight board. Concerns about Costs Rise with Hospices’ Use By Jordan Rau Published: June 27, 2011 New York Times This article highlights some concerns about Hospices services that have led to lawsuits being filed against it. Rau provides examples of patients who have continued to receive care from hospice yet they outlive the projected time they are supposed to pass on. A nurse who was working for a hospice institution known as Southern Care confesses that almost all the charts were incorrect. Later she filed a lawsuit asserting the Southern Care was illegally signing up patients within Hospice. Following this lawsuit, Southern Care confessed to illegal doing. The article shows that by 2009 a ten percentage of patients stayed in hospice for more than seven months. As soon as a patient is registered at hospice, Medicare recompenses a flat subscription varying from $147 up to $856 in a day, hinging upon the level of attention, irrespective of whether a Medicare hospice actually offers services. A prime trepidation of MedPAC is that this disbursement method incites hospices to look for patients liable to survive longer. Studies reveal, according to this article, that commercial hospices especially tend to enclose longer-staying patients. Goldenberg Eugene, a research expert for BB & T (Capital Markets) articulated that the financial inducements do in actuality dictate behavior that of a profitable business. In response, according to the article, Medicare has embraced a restriction where it will not recompense for Medicare hospice prior to six months except where a doctor or nurse specialist visits the ailing person and confirms that his or her ailment is still fatal. However, this requirement, a section of the med care law approved last year, has triggered a backlash. Hospices have claimed that it is expensive to send nurses to check on all patients. In conclusion, it is obvious that Medicare is being abused. You didn't pay for it Oct 15th 2012, 16:29 By A.C.S The Economist Times This article tries to give an explanation to the increased Medicare costs. The writer claims that at the time Medicare was formed during the 1960s folks did not outlive retirement as they do nowadays. A 65-year-old man in 1960 was only assumed to live up to 12.9 extra years; by 2010, a 65-year-old man could anticipate 16.5 additional years.  That, therefore, is a longer duration to utilize health care (certainly, the utilization of health attention is a crucial contributor to the added years). In addition, as life-prolonging technologies advance, dying is turning out to be a long-drawn-out and costly process. This somewhat expounds why Medicare outlay per recipient has augmented so much. Overall spending augmented from $2,000 during 1970 up to $11,700 by 2010.  The article claims that a fraction of escalating health care expenses is dispersed on to retirees. For instance, they pay dividends and the premiums that intensify with health expenditures. Premiums must fund 25% total cost of Medicare, therefore posing a huge liability on retirees. Currently, Medicare premiums as well as cost-sharing expenditures are taking up nearly 27% of pensioners' Social Security subsidy. However, majority of the liability will borne by future taxpayers. Presently, the Medicare accounts for 3.67% of Gross Domestic Product though it is projected to pick up 6.7% in 2080. The writer concludes that Medicare is, therefore, an extremely essential program.  Although with it the majority of retirees pass on with no assets. That is to say mainly because ailment in retirement, as well as dying, is very costly. Court: You Can Appeal Medicare Decisions about Hospice Services September 7, 2012, 5:53 am By Judith Graham Graham’s article is enlightenment to victims’ of irrational verdicts made by Hospice providers. She illustrates a scenario where hospice made a decision not to provide a drug for a sick patient, Emily Back. Emily’s husband was forced to buy the drug with his own money and after Emily passed on, her husband filed a lawsuit against Hospice. The lawsuit ensued after Hospice declined to reimburse him the cost he had incurred. Hospice care is the speediest growing services in Medicare: around 2009, nearly 1.1 million seniors and incapacitated beneficiaries obtained these lifetime services at a total of approximately $12 billion, rendering to the MedPAC (Medicare Payment Advisory Commission), a sovereign agency instituted by Congress. Through hospice, the government compensates a flat an everyday rate that is intended to cover all essential comfort upkeep for patients anticipated to live 6 months or lesser. Since hospice benefactors cannot bill distinctly for individual particulars essentials, there is possibly a direct outcome on a benefactor’s bottom line once expensive additional services are asked for. Currently a California law court verdict has stemmed in a vital clarification settling that Medicare recipients as well as their survivors bear an entitlement to petition the renunciation of services by a hospice benefactor. Graham asserts that this is a triumph of some sorts as it renders it clear that recipients have the justification to question a hospice provider’s rebuttal to offer a provision that a physician deems essential. However, she claims it is unsatisfactory since it does not guarantee that individuals receive a statement of their justification to petition when they come into hospice care, or else that any procedure exists for rushed appeals. How do you see this issue affecting New York City in the next five years? If effective policies and strategies of controlling the rising cost of Medicare are not be formulated, just like any other city, New York City will be forced to cut back its budget for lifetime care in five years from now. Even worse, New York City might not be able to allocate funds to Medicare program. Works Cited A.C.S.You did not pay for it. The Economist Times. The Economist Times, 15 Oct 2012. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. Bernstein, Nina. With Medicaid, Long-Term Care of Elderly Looms as a Rising Cost. New York Times. 6 Sept 2012. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. Graham, Judith. Court: You Can Appeal Medicare Decisions About Hospice Services. New York Times.7 Sept 2012. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. New York Times. Hospice and Its Costs. New York Times. New York Times, 27 June 2011. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. Rau, Jordan. Concerns about Costs Rise with Hospices’ Use. New York Times. New York Times, 27 June 2011. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. Read More