Justice Department announces charges in $500 million senior fraud schemes Criminal General Jeff Sessions said in charges are announcing the filed against charges Thursday. more than 250 The DOJ coordinated with alleged other law enforcement perpetrators in agencies, including the FBI, mailing, telemarketing schemes. the Federal Trade Losses stemming from these Commission and state plots are estimated at more than attorneys general, in building $500 million. the cases. The Justice Department The perpetrators allegedly announced a broad used mass mailing and enforcement sweep targeting telemarketing to rip off financial fraud against the seniors, as well as identity elderly, resulting in charges theft and financial abuse by filed against more than 250 guardians. defendants. In 2015, individuals made "Today's actions send a clear 1,108 calls to the Senate message: We will hold Aging Committee's toll-free perpetrators of elder fraud fraud hotline. That number schemes accountable more than doubled to 2,282 in wherever they are," Attorney
2016.
Phony winners More than a million people, most of whom were elderly, these scammers, we send a were victimized, according to strong message to other con the Justice Department. artists that we will not stand In one case, the FTC and the by and allow older Americans state of Missouri filed charges to be victimized," said Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., a ranking against two men and their member of the Senate Aging sweepstakes organization. The FTC alleged that seniors Committee. would receive mailers claiming Targeting retirees that they had just won more than Older Americans are losing about $36.5 billion each year to $1 million or that they could elder financial abuse, according win a large cash prize if they answered a question and to 2015 data from True Link submited a registration fee. Financial. Since 2013, victims lost more Meanwhile, 3 in 10 state than $110 million to this securities regulators report scheme, the FTC said….Read seeing an increase in senior More financial fraud, according to data from the North American
"By bringing cases against
White House pitch to bolster Obamacare includes tough trade-offs for Democrats The White House is seeking a package of conservative policy concessions — some of which are certain to antagonize Democrats — in return for backing a legislative package bolstering Obamacare markets, according to a document obtained by POLITICO. The document indicates the administration will support congressional efforts to prop up the wobbly marketplaces, in exchange for significantly expanding short-term health
plans and loosening other insurance regulations. The document also makes severalreferences to abortion language that will be problematic for Democrats. A potential stumbling block in passing any stabilization package is whether conservatives will insist on including language prohibiting the use of government dollars to pay for abortions. "Although congressional efforts to provide taxpayer
money to prop up the exchanges is understandable, any such efforts must also provide relief to middle-class families harmed by the law and protect life," the document states. The source of the document provided to POLITICO isn’t identified and it isn’t dated. The White House declined to comment on the document but didn't question its authenticity. A spokesperson for HHS said the department does not comment on leaked
documents. Two health policy experts who have been in contact with White House officials indicated that the document is consistent with ideas the administration has discussed for creating more stability and flexibility in the insurance markets.
New Technologies Help Seniors Age In Place — And Not Feel Alone Nancy Delano, 80, of Denver has no plans to slow down anytime soon. She still drives to movies, plays and dinners out with friends. A retired elder care nurse who lives alone, she also knows that “when you reach a certain age, emergencies can happen fast.” So, when her son, Tom Rogers, talked to her about installing a remote monitoring system, she
didn’t hesitate. With motion sensors placed throughout the house, Rogers can see if his mom is moving around, if she’s sleeping (or not), if she forgot to lock the door and, based on a sophisticated algorithm that detects behavioral patterns, whether her activity level or eating habits have changed significantly, for instance. “It gives both of us peace of mind, particularly as she ages and wants to live at home,” said
Rogers, who lives near Washington, D.C., hundreds of miles away from her. At $45-$60 a month (plus an upfront fee of $100 to $200), Alarm.com’s Wellness system is markedly less expensive than options such as hiring a home health aide to check on her or moving her into a retirement community. The average cost of nursing home care exceeds $95,000 a year, while assisted living and in-home care tops $45,000 annually, according to
a 2017 Genworth Financial report. The exorbitant costs of nursing home and assisted living care are driving sales — and innovation — in the technology market, said Dr. Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute and author of “The Creative Destruction of Medicine: How the Digital Revolution Will Create Better Health Care.”...Read More
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