{"id":2336,"date":"2024-01-26T00:33:37","date_gmt":"2024-01-26T00:33:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthynewsusa.com\/?p=2336"},"modified":"2024-01-26T00:33:40","modified_gmt":"2024-01-26T00:33:40","slug":"senate-probes-the-cost-of-assisted-living-and-its-burden-on-american-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthynewsusa.com\/?p=2336","title":{"rendered":"Senate Probes the Cost of Assisted Living and Its Burden on American Families"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A U.S. Senate committee on Thursday launched an examination of assisted living, holding its first hearing in two decades on the industry as leaders of both parties expressed concern about the high cost and mixed quality of the long-term care facilities.<\/p>\n

The federal government has minimal oversight of assisted living, which is regulated by states, unlike skilled nursing homes. Both the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate Special Committee on Aging said their inquiry aimed to detail the financial practices and quality levels in the industry so that consumers would be better able to choose facilities. Lawmakers expressed little appetite for Congress to take a more direct role in regulating the sector, such as by setting federal standards for staffing levels and how workers are trained.<\/p>\n

Prompted by a New York Times-KFF Health News series, Sen. Bob Casey, the Pennsylvania Democrat who chairs the panel, put out a call for residents and their families to submit their bills<\/a> so the panel could assess the industry\u2019s business practices.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to know more about what people are paying for assisted living and to have people tell their stories,\u201d Casey said. \u201cWe want to hear from you about the true cost of assisted living and understand whether families have the information \u2014 the information that they need \u2014 to make this difficult financial and health care decision for a family member and for the family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana, the ranking Republican on the committee, endorsed the inquiry while cautioning against actions that would lead to new financial burdens on the federal budget. \u201cWhen you\u2019re promoting transparency, it can bring odd partners together,\u201d Braun said.<\/p>\n

More than 800,000 older Americans reside in assisted living facilities, which cater to people who have dementia or trouble walking, eating, or doing other daily activities. Most residents have to pay out-of-pocket because Medicare doesn\u2019t cover long-term care and only a fifth of facilities accept Medicaid, the federal-state insurance for people with low incomes or disabilities. The industry is quite profitable, running median operating margins around 20% and often charging residents with extensive needs $10,000 or more a month. The national median cost of assisted living is $54,000 a year, according to a survey by the insurer Genworth<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The New York Times-KFF Health News series detailed industry\u2019s pursuit<\/a> of maximum profits by charging residents extra at every opportunity. Facilities have billed residents $50 for each injection, $12 for a single blood pressure check, and $93 a month to order medications from a pharmacy.<\/p>\n

The quality problems in assisted living have been widely exposed by national and state news organizations. At the Jan. 25 hearing, Patricia Vessenmeyer, a Virginia woman, described the poor care and overwhelmed workers she observed at a dementia care facility where her late husband, John Whitney, lived.<\/p>\n

\u201cI once believe I saved a man\u2019s life,\u201d she said, describing how she helped stop a resident who was beating another resident using the victim\u2019s cane. \u201cIt took several minutes before a staff member finally heard me and came to help,\u201d she testified. Vessenmeyer said the facility, which she did not name, charged her husband around $13,000 a month.<\/p>\n

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