Aging
Americans are living longer, healthier lives, and the number of elderly is growing dramatically. In 2010, there were 40.3 million adults 65 and older—or 13 percent of the population. This number is expected to increase to more than 72 million—or 20 percent of the population—by 2030. Philanthropy is fully engaged in addressing the needs of this population and their caregivers, including the significant challenges of long-term care, prescription drug coverage, Medicare, and multiple chronic conditions. GIH offers programming on the issues facing older adults and works with other stakeholders also committed to the work.
- Dartmouth Brief Highlights Trends in End-of-Life Care
June 2013
A new brief released by the Dartmouth Atlas Project, "Tracking Improvement in the Care of Chronically Ill Patients: A Dartmouth Atlas Brief on Medicare Beneficiaries Near the End of Life," reports on observed longitudinal changes for care provided to chronically ill Medicare patients. The study found that Medicare spending for chronically ill patients at the end of life increased more than 15 percent from 2007 to 2010. Among the findings of the study, researchers also found that Medicare patients in the last six months of life spent fewer days in the hospital, received more hospice care, and were less likely to die in a hospital in 2010 than they did in 2007. The Dartmouth Atlas Project is principally funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, with support from a consortium of funders that includes the WellPoint Foundation, the United Health Foundation, and the California HealthCare Foundation.
Learn More > - KFF Releases Report on Medicare Advantage Enrollment
June 2013
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, conducted with Mathematica Policy Research Inc., has published Medicare Advantage 2013 Spotlight: Enrollment Market Update, examining enrollment state and national trends in private Medicare Advantage plans. The analysis has found that 14.4 million Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans this year, up 30 percent from 2010 despite concerns that the payment changes enacted in the 2010 Affordable Care Act would lead to significant reductions in enrollment. The report also found that enrollment varies greatly between states and that nearly half of enrollees choose plans that charge a premium despite near-universal access to no-premium options.
Learn More > - John A. Hartford Foundation Bolstering Evidence-Based Programs
June 2013The John A. Hartford Foundation has announced that it has awarded a $2,068,500 grant to support the Partners in Care Foundation in Los Angeles and Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley to form consortia of cooperating community-based agencies, increase access to and consistency of the evidence-based services provided, and establish active partnerships with health care plans and providers. Building off the lessons learned from a $1.3 million grant awarded to the Nation Council on Aging in 2001, this new grant seeks to take advantage of the advancements made in the field over the past 12 years and foster evidence-based health promoting services through community agencies as part of the overall treatment plan for older adults.
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- Medicare Reveals Individual Hospital Fees
May 2013
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) revealed for the first time the Medicare fee data for individual hospitals for a wide array of common diagnoses and treatments billed to Medicare. Covering around 3,000 public hospitals, the data shows the charges billed to Medicare and the amount reimbursed by the federal government. Initial analysis conducted by Martin Gaynor, professor of economics and health policy at Carnegie-Mellon, indicates that, despite wide variation on what hospitals bill for services, Medicare payments to hospitals show little variation.
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- Linking Medical Services and Community-Based Care: A Step toward Aging with Dignity, Choice, and Independence
May 2013
By Bruce Chernof, M.D., President and CEO, The SCAN Foundation
Learn More > - Coming Soon? The Ongoing Effort to Promote Better Depression Services in Primary Care
November 2012
By Christopher A. Langston, Ph.D., Program Director, The John A. Hartford Foundation
Learn More > - Elder Abuse: Opportunities to Make a Difference
April 2012
In the past several decades, remarkable strides have been made in addressing the devastating issue of interpersonal violence—both child abuse and neglect, as well as intimate partner violence. Sadly, however, the issue of elder abuse lags behind these advances.
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