Aging and Poverty News
"With more than 300,000 residents age 85 and over, Pennsylvania's senior population is the largest it has ever been, and it is increasing at 10 times the rate of the rest of the population. Yet a proposed cut to the state budget would take away 4 percent of the funding -- $100 million -- for low-income seniors who receive at-home nursing care."
"Three Boston organizations will receive $11.6 million from the federal government to expand programs focused on keeping sick seniors out of the hospital, improving the health of children with asthma, and connecting people who are homeless with better medical care."
"The Republican’s strength among seniors comes even though he has said he generally supports a plan put forward by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican, that would gradually raise the Medicare eligibility age to 67 from 65 and turn it into a voucher-like program where future seniors would receive subsidies to purchase health care on the open market."
"Created by the NCOA, BenefitsCheckUp is a free, confidential web-based service that helps low-income seniors and their families identify federal, state and private benefits programs that can help with prescription drug costs, health care, utilities, and other basic needs."
"According to a study by H. Luke Shaefer at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, one in five families living in poverty nationwide, including about 2.8 million children, exist on $2 in income a day."
"Absent major action by lawmakers, the annual reports say the combined assets of the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and the Disability Insurance trust funds will be exhausted in 2033—three years sooner than was projected last year. The Disability Insurance fund will be exhausted in 2016, two years earlier than last year's estimate."
"The Obama administration said Wednesday that it would vastly expand the use of competitive bidding to buy medical equipment for Medicare beneficiaries after a one-year experiment saved money for taxpayers and patients without harming the quality of care."
"Many other low-income older and disabled people looking for affordable housing aren't so lucky. Pat Winston, executive director of the Paw Paw Housing Commission, said there isn't enough subsidized housing available to meet the needs of an aging population."
"Almost 100,000 elderly and disabled New York City residents receive home care through Medicaid, but only a very small number receive care at the level Serrano does. Those ranks have declined by 25 percent in the last two years, from about 1,300 people to 1,000. City officials say the drop is due not to budgetary pressures but to state and federal orders to more stringently evaluate all cases."
"The number of elderly residents living in poverty has increased 42 percent in Central Texas over the past 10 years, according to the U.S. census, and demographers say the city is seeing the first signs of a growing wave that's been dubbed the 'silver tsunami.'"
"The Heritage Area Agency on Aging is one of 13 organizations in Iowa, and one of more than 600 nationwide, that are funded by the federal Older Americans Act established in 1965 to provide anyone older than 60 - primarily low income individuals - with healthy meals through coordinating, advocating and funding community programs."
"During his annual budget address, Gov. Chris Christie announced a common-sense restructuring of state government to better serve New Jersey residents - particularly children, low-income families, women, individuals with developmental disabilities, veterans and seniors."
"In addition to disabled adults, the rollback in funding affects the homeless, people with mental-health and substance-abuse problems, HIV patients needing hospice care, children aging out of foster care, and those in the city-run nursing home."
"It is open to those aged 55 or older, who live in the designated service area, and are certified by the state as eligible for nursing home care, Marshall said.
The program is designed to help those who would otherwise qualify for nursing home placement under the federal Medicaid program, a healthcare program that aids low-income clients."
"On the other side, most liberals, labor unions and advocacy groups for the elderly oppose any reduction of benefits, such as raising the retirement age, eliminating benefits for the wealthy or creating private accounts. The National Committee to Preserve Social Security & Medicare says these kinds of reforms would dismantle the program and be detrimental to low-income workers, minorities and women."
"About 60 seniors will receive free assistance from the trainees, she said. The family service currently has 850 frail-elderly clients, most of whom live below poverty levels and need help buying food and paying rent.
Unemployed seniors is one of several target groups the workforce alliance wants to help find jobs, said Patrick Cannan, an alliance spokesman. It's also offering grants to help the homeless, young people recently out of foster care and ex-offenders, he said."
"Fortunately, there's an easy solution. Rather than curtailing public and private pensions, New York and other states could save millions of workers from impending poverty by creating public pensions for everyone.
While the recession bears some blame for the looming retirement crisis, experts agree that the primary cause is more fundamental: Most workers do not have retirement accounts at work. "
"His troubles reflect a statewide problem for doctors who treat a disproportionately high number of the reported 320,000 low-income Texans who are dually eligible for Medicare, the federal insurer of the elderly, and Medicaid, the joint state-federal health care program for indigent children, disabled people and the very poor."
"The Senior Community Service Employment Program, authorized by Title V of the Older Americans Act, is the only federally-sponsored employment and training program targeted specifically to unemployed, low-income seniors 55 and older. "
"Maggie Flowers, a director at Wider Opportunities for Women, said many elderly who don't live below the $10,890 poverty line, as set by the federal government, still have trouble meeting basic needs even without spending on "frills" like going out for coffee or taking a grandchild to the movies."
"The federal government's Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation recently dedicated $1 billion in grants to develop new ideas to improve care and lower costs for Medicare, Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program beneficiaries."
"Two-dozen Bonita Springs residents told the Bonita Springs City Council tonight they don't want St. Matthew's House to build a homeless shelter next to Bonita Springs Charter School. They filled City Hall, leaving standing room only in council chambers and spilling to an overflow room."
"'We serve the elderly and low-income – that's our target clientele, but we don't turn anyone away,' said Frank Kirschenheiter, site coordinator for the Antioch location. This year the program has more than 70 volunteers in Lake County who underwent a mandatory two-week training and testing course in early January that certifies them to help with tax preparations, Buschmann said."
"And what has been the most significant public response to date to that looming crisis of poverty among the elderly? It's been a backlash against the one class of workers that still retains definedbenefit pensions and a measure of retirement security - those who work in the public sector."
"Tenants and a state senator are battling a requirement by a Los Angeles landlord that residents pay their rent online, alleging that a 'green' initiative introduced by the company is actually a pretense to evict low-income, elderly renters benefiting from rent-stabilization provisions."
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