What Does the New Healthcare Legislation Mean for YOU?
March 26, 2010
Everybody knows the latest big news: President Obama’s health care reform bill was finally approved by the senate—for better or worse—and although politicians may still be arguing the benefits and evils of the bill across party lines, most Americans are asking one simple question: What does this legislation mean for me?
CNN Health attempts to answer that question and more in a recent article entitled (appropriately) “Answers to your questions on healthcare law.” At a time when everyone either loves or hates the bill, it’s not always easy to get a straight and non-partisan answer to a question that really has nothing to do with politics; but this CNN article does a good job of providing straightforward answers to many of the frequently asked questions, and explaining exactly how this bill is likely to affect you and your family now and in the years to come.
We know that many of our clients will have questions about this bill that go beyond those answered in this article, especially about how this may affect your decision-making rights, advance healthcare directives, long term care concerns, or Medi-Cal qualification To help you sort out these questions, we intend to write more about this new law in coming Blogs. Whether you are a parent of young children worried about your health insurance, or a retiree facing the need to tighten your purse strings in your “golden years,” this legislation may have an impact on you. To keep up to date, stay tuned and check back for more.
Will Nursing Home Costs Bankrupt the Nation and the Elderly?
December 17, 2009
Along with the rest of the nation, you are probably watching the progress of various versions of the health care legislation making their way (or not making their way) through Congress. An article in the Deember 13, 2009, issue of the New York Times points out that the current bill contains a “major new federal insurance program for long-term care” — although many are not aware of it. It is sometimes referred to as the “CLASS ACT”, so known by the initials for the full title, the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act.
Should it become law, the program might have a significant positive benefit for a social problem that is already bad, and promises to get worse. That is, how are we to care for members of our society who can no longer care for themselves, but might live for years? To give just one prominent example, former President Ronald Reagan revealed his Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 1994, but did not pass away until ten years later.
Nursing home costs have the potential to bankrupt families that are not prepared with legal planning. Drafted by the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy several years ago, this federal insurance program might be an important tool in addressing the problem, but critics say it will be unsustainable. Instead of families going bankrupt paying for nursing home care, it will be the government, in their view. Supporters view the matter quite differently, and believe that it will not only help with the reduction of the Deficit but, more importantly, will enhance the quality of life for the elderly, disabled and their families. Read the entire article here.
Jinies.com