Senator Edward Kennedy’s contribution to affordable Long Term Insurance

The Community Living Assistance Services and Support Act 2009 was introduced by Senator Kennedy (S. 697) and Congressman Jack Pallone (H.R. 1721). According to the fact sheet put out by the Alliance for Retired Americans, Medicare covers very little of the long term services needed and one must have less than $2000 in savings to qualify for Medicaid. Hence, people are forced into institutions and poverty if they require long term medical services. Furthermore, over 40% of people will need over 2 years of long term services and support. Think about what this is costing taxpayers and caregivers who must help cover these costs if they want their family member to get quality care. The bill would create a National Insurance Program supported through voluntary payroll deductions of anyone working 18 years of age and older. This large pool of people in the program will decrease the cost of Long Term Services and Support.

The lack of Long Term Health Insurance is not only a drain on the finances of the person directly affected but also family and friends that chip in to make sure their loved one is properly cared for. We all need to not only have access to affordable health care, we should have access to affordable Long Term Health Care. Contact your legislative representative and make sure that you let him/her know that you want the Class Act to pass.

November is National Family Caregivers Month

On October 30, 2009, President Obama proclaimed November to be National Family Caregivers Month. In his proclamation, President Obama highlighted two programs that should help family caregivers in their quest to balance their personal and professional lives with their care of family or friends; The National Family Caregiver Support Program and the Lifespan Respite Care Act. The National Family Caregivers Month was started by the National Family Caregivers Association to thank, support, and educate family caregivers. I believe that one of goals of all organizations trying to support and educate family caregivers is to help those who see themselves as the niece caring for her aunt with breast cancer or the son caring for his elderly parents identify themselves as caregivers. I believe this is critical because until people identify themselves as family caregivers instead of family members helping those they love most of the legislation and organizational support available will not be requested or sought out.

Great program to help caregivers feed elderly parents

I know that it is hard to determine what my mom is eating. I am a long distance caregiver. I ask every day what she eats. Many times she cannot remember. When I am there for a few days, she seems to eat all the right things. However, I don’t cook like I should because of my limited time with her. Hence, we go out and she is not getting the complete nutrition she needs. She now is pre-osteoporosis so she needs more calcium. I have suggested meals on wheels to her but she has had friends say that the food is inconsistent. A program in Albany has been created to help with the stress caregivers feel trying to feed their elderly relatives and friends. The program called “Cooking under pressure.” This program provides a handbook with shopping tips, recipes, and actual help plan and shop for meals. You can checkout this website for more resources. All of us that have cared for family with cancer or other illnesses, as well as our elderly parents, know that trying to find food that is good for them and that they will eat is one of the most difficult aspects of caregiving. I know that when I was caring for my aunt with breast cancer, I went up and down the aisle looking for things I had not thought of before. Hopefully, there are programs such as this in your area.

Property tax “work off” programs for seniors over 60

Massachusetts has a state law that allows cities to develop a property tax work off laws for people over 60. According to the article in Boston.com, some cities set the program at people over 60, some over 65. The seniors can work in areas in the city or town and receive vouchers up to $750 toward their property taxes. Seniors must fill out an applications and get on a list. They are selected based on pairing the requirements of the job that needs to be done and the skills of the seniors in the program. Massachusetts is not the only state that has implemented such programs. The governor of Maine also signed a bill into law in April 2008 that allows a tax “work off” program for seniors over 60. There is some debate in Maine about the bill because the seniors the state pays the taxes on the money earned by the seniors. Hence, some believe that it is the other taxpayers covering the costs of the program. However, the IRS considers the money earned from the program as income. South Carolina and areas of Colorado have similar bills. In all cases, the seniors are paid between approximately minimum wage for their labor. The amount of the voucher they can earn and the age the programs start vary dependent on state, city, and town. It seems like a pretty good idea. After all, the states will typically get mature, skilled workers for jobs that may go to unskilled labor. Check your state and send this information to your state representatives to try and get something like this implemented in your area.

Health Care Reform - Do your homework and don’t believe the rumors

Yesterday, President Obama gave Senator Grassley credit for honestly trying to come up with a bipartisan bill and then today Grassley tells the elderly they need to be afraid of the supposed “end of life” provisions that may be in the bill. Why are we putting up with these politically motivated pieces of scare tactic misinformation? There are a number of websites that can provide people with fact checks on the possible proposals included in the health care bill. One such site has been put up by the White House. Another site that is examining claims made on both sides of the debate is Factcheck.org. Another site is MediaMatters which attempts to debunk the myths associated with the politically motivated distortions created to scare the general public. We must all think about the fact that many of us change jobs 5 to 7 times during our lifetime. That means that we must change insurance and take the chance that we would not get insurance due to pre-existing conditions that we might have gotten over the period that we were employed with our former company. Under health care reform, we could keep our insurance without penalty. We must take the initiative to inform ourselves and not believe everything that we hear or read without checking the validity of the information. More importantly, those of us that know that the there are those trying to scare the uninformed must start speaking up when those who are shouting to drown out the myths and politically motivated misinformation.

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