Long Term Care

The Baltimore County Department of Aging is offering a long-term-care awareness workshop from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. today at the Seven Oaks Senior Center, 9210 Seven Courts Drive. The free presentation is on strategies for planning for financial needs and is to include information on advance directives, financial resources and long-term care insurance. Social Security Administration and the Maryland Department of Aging representatives are to attend. Information: 410-887-2059.

Marylanders spent $44.5 billion on personal health care in 2010 as costs in the state continued to outpace the nation, according to a new report. Spending on services including hospital care, prescription drugs and long-term care increased 3.5 percent compared to 2009, according to the report by The Maryland Health Care Commission. On average a Maryland resident spent $7,698 on healthcare in 2010, 9 percent higher than the national average of $7,066. The biggest chunk of money in Maryland was spent on hospital care, which accounted for one-third of spending.

John Malejan is among a tiny minority of Americans who own a long-term-care insurance policy, and he considers himself pretty smart for it. He should know. A decade ago, Malejan, of Farmington Hills, Mich., bought policies for himself and his wife, Louise. Four years later, when Alzheimer's plunged her into darkness and forced Malejan to place her in a nursing home, her policy kicked in, covering tens of thousands of dollars' worth of care until her death 2 1/2 years later. Premiums for Louise's policy amounted to $8,800 over the four years, or the cost of about 2 1/2 months of her nursing care.

Congressional lawmakers investigating the shortage of lifesaving drugs used to treat cancer and other illnesses are looking into three companies in North Carolina and Maryland that they believe set up "fake pharmacies" to access the drugs that they then sold at a markup. The lawmakers, led by Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, a Baltimore Democrat, said Wednesday that they sent letters to the three pharmacies that they believe sold drugs to wholesalers that they also owned, which then sold the drugs on the "gray market" to entities that do not manufacture drugs or treat patients.

Maryland, like the rest of the country, is aging. The state's 65-and-over population increased by more than 18 percent in the past 10 years to 707,642, according to the U.S. census. This group will only grow as baby boomers — those born between 1946 and 1965 — turn grayer. One of the most vocal advocates for older Americans is the AARP, which represents members who are 50 and older. While Social Security and Medicare have remained priorities for the organization, in Maryland it also focuses on more local issues such as lower electricity rates and reliability standards for utilities.

At a time when state budgets across the nation are under enormous strain, it is refreshing to see that Maryland's lawmakers are focusing on solutions and taking important steps to protect the quality of care for our nation's most vulnerable citizens. The March 7 op-ed, "Tax us to help us," illustrates the importance of stable funding to quality nursing home care. To fully understand why the "quality assessment" tax cited in the article would be benefit Maryland's seniors and those most in need, as well as the state budget, you must look to its roots.

The Aberdeen Proving Ground Federal Credit Union will offer a free educational seminar from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the credit union's Home Loan Center, 321 S. Main St., Bel Air. "Understanding Long Term Care Insurance" will include the basics of long-term care insurance, who will need it, costs associated with it and what Medicare will cover. Registration is required. Information: 410-893-7359.

We've all heard a lot about the nation graying, which is what makes the recent news about long-term care insurance even more troubling. MetLife, citing "financial challenges" facing the industry, said it would soon stop selling insurance to cover nursing homes and other long-term care costs, although it promised to honor existing policies. Meanwhile, other players that vowed to stay in the market are seeking stiff premium increases from insurance regulators across the country.

New York -- If you're wondering about nursing-home insurance for yourself or your parents, you're not alone. About 140 insurance companies are gearing up for a brand new market, the first generation of Americans to be fearful not of dying too soon, but of living too long.Here are the answers to some of your questions about long-term care (LTC):* What are the odds of needing nursing-home care? One in four people over 65 will enter a nursing home for at least a year, and one in 10 for five years or more.

Martin P. Wasserman, state health secretary, has named a committee to begin studying how to reform the most costly aspect of the Medicaid program -- long-term care. Recipients are disabled and chronically ill, and many are in nursing homes.The 15-member advisory group, chaired by Richard Bennett, executive director of long-term care at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, will hold several public hearings. The group is scheduled to issue a report in the fall.The effort is similar to the strategy used to draft a plan for the state's first phase of Medicaid reform, which calls for moving about 200,000 women and children into health maintenance organizations next year.

Maryland, like the rest of the country, is aging. The state's 65-and-over population increased by more than 18 percent in the past 10 years to 707,642, according to the U.S. census. This group will only grow as baby boomers — those born between 1946 and 1965 — turn grayer. One of the most vocal advocates for older Americans is the AARP, which represents members who are 50 and older. While Social Security and Medicare have remained priorities for the organization, in Maryland it also focuses on more local issues such as lower electricity rates and reliability standards for utilities.

Connie and Nancy, my best friends since the seventh grade, and I were chatting on a kind of cross-country speakerphone conference call - catching up on jobs, husbands, kids and, sadly, mothers in nursing homes. Connie's mother is in terrific physical health - for 92 - but her mind has left the building. Nancy's mother's mind is still sharp, but her body has quit on her. Connie's mother doesn't know her. Nancy's mother knows very well where she is, and how unhappy she is. We changed the subject to talk about our next girlfriend getaway, but I dragged the conversation back to the tough topic of aging.

The Sun's honoring of FutureCare Health and Management as the No. 1 large company on its Top 75 Workplaces is well-deserved. The FutureCare team works hard each day helping Marylanders in their care return to good health. Working in long-term and rehabilitative care is a stressful, 24-hour, seven day a week job. Care giving is more a calling than a career choice. This honor is a testament to the success of the Attman family and their team's way of putting family first. This honor also is a reflection on the entire long-term care provider community in Maryland — some 36,000 men and women strong who care for more than 25,000 older, disabled and recovering patients each and every day. With more than $1.5 billion in payroll annually, the long-term and rehabilitative care providers are significant employers in Maryland.

When the Obama administration recently backed off a long-term insurance program that was part of the law to overhaul health care, we all lost. The so-called CLASS Act, which even supporters acknowledge had design flaws, would have allowed workers to voluntarily buy a long-term care policy regardless of their health. The benefit wasn't huge, but it might have been enough to allow some seniors to remain in their homes. And it was better than nothing — which is what most people have now. But as it turned out, the program wasn't financially sustainable and was dropped before it ever launched.

On one side of the double white steel doors is Remedi SeniorCare's present: a conventional pharmacy, complete with rows of shelves, hundreds of prescription drug bottles and staffers who fill thousands of orders a day for nursing homes and assisted-living centers. It's adequate, but certainly not cutting-edge. "This is the dinosaur of medication administration," said Michael G. Bronfein, Remedi's chief executive, during a recent tour of the 50,000-square-foot floor. But push through to the other side of the white doors and you see Remedi's future: robots.

We've all heard a lot about the nation graying, which is what makes the recent news about long-term care insurance even more troubling. MetLife, citing "financial challenges" facing the industry, said it would soon stop selling insurance to cover nursing homes and other long-term care costs, although it promised to honor existing policies. Meanwhile, other players that vowed to stay in the market are seeking stiff premium increases from insurance regulators across the country.

THE SENIOR circuit is buzzing about the new tax deductions for long-term care. That perks up the ears of middle-agers, too.The write-offs come in two flavors. First, there's a tax deduction for buying long-term care insurance. Second -- and even better -- people already receiving care, at home or in a nursing home, get to deduct uninsured costs.These new tax breaks both took effect this year. But as usual, there are some angles to consider. Here are the rules:If you buy long-term care (LTC)

LONG-TERM insurance is growing ever more complex. As the population ages, larger numbers of people are purchasing coverage. Meanwhile, the industry hopes to reach younger, more affluent buyers by combining long-term care (LTC) with life insurance. A basic LTC policy covers the potentially catastrophic cost of a long-term stay in a nursing home. It pays for people with severe mental impairment, such as Alzheimer's disease, or those who can't handle two of their essential physical needs (typically, bathing, dressing, eating, continence and moving around)

Some people continue to debate the impact of the economic stimulus package passed by Congress and enacted by President Barack Obama in 2009. However, in my opinion, there is no debate that the parts of the law that protected the health and long-term care of people most in need made a profound and positive difference in many lives. That positive difference may soon turn into damaging and painful reductions in the resources that our elders, families and people with disabilities depend upon.

Omega Healthcare Investors Inc., a Hunt Valley real estate investment trust that finances the long-term care industry, has acquired 63 long-term care facilities for $295 million, the company said. Omega acquired facilities in 19 states with a total of 6,607 beds under an option agreement with the seller, affiliates of CapitalSource Inc., for $34 million in cash and the repayment of $261 million in debt. The sale is expected to close in June. Omega had acquired the option to purchase the facilities as part of a previously announced securities purchase agreement with CapitalSource that included the acquisition in December of entities owing 40 facilities.