Senior Health - Telemedicine is HERE.

American Well - Press Releases

The Villages, Fla. and Boston, Mass., June 22, 2012 — American Well™ today announced a partnership with USF Health at the University of South Florida to increase access to quality primary and specialty care to the residents of The Villages, the country’s largest Over-55 residential community in the United States. This marks the first time American Well’s industry-leading Online Care telehealth platform will be specifically targeted toward a senior population.

Online Care is a web-based software platform that allows consumers and healthcare providers to have immediate, live and clinically meaningful online visits through video, secure text chat and/or phone.

USF Health will deploy Online Care in support of its patient-centered healthcare system, developed in partnership with The Villages, which provides easy access to quality healthcare to residents. The goal is to utilize Online Care to reduce hospital admissions, readmission rates and pharmacy costs, while maintaining Medicare beneficiaries in their homes rather than long-term care settings.

Through Online Care, retirees will have immediate access to primary care from the comfort of their homes. In addition, USF Health physicians will use Online Care to consult with outside specialists to deliver comprehensive care, including post- operative care, diabetes care, cardiovascular health, dermatology, mental health and urology.

CPA DENVER Homecare vs Home Health Care ELDERLINK

HOMECARE vs HOME HEALTHCARE  ELDERLINK  http://elderlink.com/

Karen Moorehead, the President of Elderlink Home Care, Inc (303.734.0641) provided the following article describing the basic difference between Homecare vs Home Health care.  I appreciate her making the distinction in the following article:

Twenty-five  years ago, when Elderlink Home Care, Inc. first opened its Denver doors, the idea of seniors receiving care at home was still new.  Back then, when loved ones were diagnosed with illness or recovering from surgery, they were usually placed in a long-term care facility by doctors or family members.  Most people expected they would go to a nursing home or care facility if they found they were no longer able to live at home without assistance.  In-home care was new and many people were still unaware of it as an option. Elderlink was the first company in the Denver metro area created specifically to meet the non-medical homecare needs of seniors.  A lot has changed in 25 years! 

The term homecare is used to define non-medical care or custodial care, which is care that is provided by persons who are not nurses, doctors, or other licensed medical personnel; the term home health care refers to care that is provided by licensed personnel.

Study after study has shown that by far, the majority of seniors want to stay in their own homes as long as possible.  Homecare is credited with helping to reduce stress and increase life expectancy.  Living at home creates a sense of mental and physical well-being for the elderly. Through the years, many companies have come into existence to help seniors reach their goals of living at home.  

Today there are over 20,000 companies in the United States providing homecare to seniors and that number is expected to increase. Homecare can be a cost- effective alternative to nursing homes and hospitals and can help to postpone or prevent the need for other, more expensive forms of care.  Despite the graying of the population, the percentage of elderly living in nursing homes has declined, according to recent Census data. The decline reflects the improved health of seniors and more choices for care. In 2006, about 7.4% of Americans aged 75 and older lived in nursing homes, compared with 10.2% in 1990 (USA Today).   Today, home care for seniors has a new urgency, dubbed “the senior tsunami.” A wave of retiring and aging boomers will soon flood homecare providers.  By 2020, it is estimated that 12 million older Americans will need long-term care.

The number of changes people face as they age can be overwhelming. Illness, immobility, and the possibility of leaving the comfort of one’s home can contribute to depression and anxiety. When a person is ill or in recovery, nothing can match the security and comfort of home.  Homecare provides individualized assistance that is tailored to personal needs and helps maintain independence and dignity.

Access to quality homecare is vital to the health of our seniors and our community.  In metro Denver, seniors are fortunate to have many choices for their homecare needs.  One thing is for certain, the options and services available to seniors are sure to change as much in the next 25 years as they did in the previous 25 years. 

For more information on how homecare can help you or a loved one, call Karen Moorehead, President of Elderlink Home Care, Inc., 303-734-0641

Rachel Ensign-Planning for Parent's Future

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Medicare Premiums and Deductibles 2012

Most of us know the Year 2012 Part B premium across the Board regardless of enrollment date is $99.90. Part B premiums pay for the cost of physicians' services, outpatient hospital services, certain home health services, durable medical equipment, and some other items (drugs administered by infusion, for example). Also remember the Part B premium must be paid in order to be a Medicare Advantage Plan participant.

However, this premium amount is means tested and so the premium is increased by $40 if your individual provisional income (including tax exempt income) exceeds $85,000 or your joint return provisional income exceeds $170,000.

The premium amount is increased by $99.90 if your individual provisional income exceeds $107,000 or your joint return provisional income exceeds $214,000.

The premium amount increases by $219.80 if your individual provisional income exceeds $214,000 or your joint return provisional income exceeds $428,000.

Also, the Part B premium across the entire senior population covers approximately one-fourth of the average cost of Part B services incurred by beneficiaries aged 65 and over, with a contingency reserve built in.

Deductible

There is a deductible, $140, for all Part B enrollees. The amount is indexed annually. The amount is often overlooked especially by those having a medicare supplemental plan ("Medigap"), and not relevant to those receiving benefits under a Medicare Savings Plan ("MSP").  In the Denver metropolitan area contact your local SHIP ("Senior Health Insurance Plan") office for information regarding MSP income/resource qualifications.

Contact information
Toll Free: (888) 696-7213 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (888) 696-7213 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Local: (303) 629-4940 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (303) 629-4940 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Spanish: (866) 665-9668 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (866) 665-9668 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
TTY: (303) 894-7880

Medicare Education 101

Video - Disability Benefits from Social Security and Medicare 

Beginning in January 2012 I will use this blog to make the Medicare Training Program materials (in some cases they are interactive videos available) available.  Many of the videos are on You Tube but I will selectively filter out the better, more informative ones. This first video discusses the benefits available to disabled individuals with a prior work experience (aka OASDI)  credits and without work experience credits (SSI). Remember my website address is www.moranlong.com     

Taxes & Your Money-Caregiver tax deductions

Source for this case summary - The AICPA Journal of Accountancy

The Tax Court held that payments made to an elderly woman’s caregivers for personal care that she required due to her diminished capacity qualified as long-term-care services and were therefore deductible under IRC § 213(d)(1)(C) (Estate of Baral, 137 TC no. 1 (2011)).

Lillian Baral was diagnosed by her physician as suffering from dementia, and the physician determined that she required 24-hour assistance and supervision for medical reasons. Her brother (who handled Baral’s financial affairs under a power of attorney) hired two individuals to provide that care and paid them $49,580 for their services in 2007. He also reimbursed them $5,566 for supplies they purchased.

Baral did not file an income tax return for 2007, so the IRS prepared a substitute return for her, under the provisions of section 6020(b). The IRS determined that she had income of $94,229 for the year, and, after her personal exemption and standard deduction, it determined she had an income tax deficiency of $17,681 for the year. Baral died in 2008, and her estate sued to have the amounts paid for her long-term care and supplies, as well as $760 paid to her physician, allowed as medical expense deductions for 2007.

Amounts paid for qualified long-term-care services are deductible as medical expenses under section 213(d)(1). Qualified long-term-care services include personal care services required by a chronically ill individual and provided pursuant to a plan of care prescribed by a licensed physician (IRC § 7702B(c)(1)).

The Tax Court held that Baral qualified as a chronically ill individual under section 7702B(c)(2) because she required substantial supervision to protect her from threats to her health and safety due to her severe cognitive impairment. The court also held that the services provided by the caregivers were necessary maintenance and personal care services that she required because of her diminished capacity and that they were provided pursuant to a care plan prescribed by her physician. Therefore, they were qualified long-term-care services.

The court held that the payments to the caregivers for their services and the payment to the physician both qualified as deductible medical expenses (subject to the 7.5% of AGI threshold).

The payments for supplies did not qualify as deductible medical expenses, the court held, because the estate did not provide receipts to the court or otherwise substantiate that they were for medical care.