The Healthcare Cost Crisis and California’s Master Plan for Aging

03/03/21 • 28 min

High healthcare costs, social isolation, loneliness, food insecurity, malnutrition and issues related to housing have impacted older people for decades, and the COVID-19 pandemic has made these issues even worse. In this episode of LeverAGE, we explore America’s healthcare cost crisis, and common-sense ways to lower costs and enhance care for all Americans as we age. We also cover the latest developments in California’s statewide effort to build a Master Plan for Aging, a 10-year blueprint that will help guide state government, local communities, private organizations and philanthropies to build environments that promote healthy aging. California is among the first in a handful of states to build a plan in response to our society’s aging, following a process that can serve as a model for other states and the federal government to follow.
Host: Peter Kaldes, CEO of the American Society on Aging
Guests:

Shelley Lyford is President and Chief Executive Officer of West Health, Gary and Mary West Foundation, and West Health Institute; and Board Director of Gary and Mary West Foundation.
Timothy A. Lash, MBA, is Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President of West Health; President of West Health Policy Center; CEO and President of Gary and Mary West PACE; and Board Director of Gary and Mary West Foundation.

This episode was sponsored by West Health Policy Center
Resources

Shelley Lyford is President and Chief Executive Officer of West Health, Gary and Mary West Foundation, and West Health Institute; and Board Director of Gary and Mary West Foundation.
Timothy A. Lash, MBA, is Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President of West Health; President of West Health Policy Center; CEO and President of Gary and Mary West PACE; and Board Director of Gary and Mary West Foundation.

This episode was sponsored by West Health Policy Center
Resources

Previous Episode

On Ageism in Politics and Around the Vaccine Rollout

ASA Public Policy Committee co-chairs Paul Downey and Amy Herr host this episode of LeverAGE, talking with guests Michael Adams, Rebecca Morgan and Joyce L. Walker about the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and ageism in the political world.
Hosts:
Paul Downey, President and CEO, Serving Seniors and ASA board member
Amy Herr, Director, Health Policy, West Health and ASA board member
Guests:
Michael Adams, CEO of SAGE and Chair of ASA's Board of Directors; Rebecca Morgan, Boston Asset Management Chair in Elder Law, Stetson University School of Law and ASA board members; and Joyce L Walker Vice President of Community Development at PK Management LLC and ASA board member.
Please note: This episode was recorded in December 2020

Next Episode

Prescription Drug Pricing

Prescription drug prices are at unprecedented levels. There is a huge human impact to not being able to afford medications: according to a new study by West Health, over 1.1 million people insured by Medicare could die over the next decade because they cannot afford their prescription medications. For some time, drug spending in Medicare Parts D and B has grown faster than overall Medicare spending. Rather than negotiate drug prices itself, Medicare allows private insurers to negotiate prices on its behalf for pharmacy drugs under the Medicare Part D program. For drugs administered by physicians under the Medicare Part B program, Medicare currently pays whatever manufacturers charge, with no negotiation at all. This episode covers how negotiation rules could better serve patients and taxpayers, and what policy strategies might help drive costs down.
Host: Leanne Clark Shirley, PhD, Vice President, Programs & Thought Leadership, American Society on Aging
Guest: Ameet Sarpatwari, PhD, JD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Assistant Director of the Program On Regulation, Therapeutics, And Law (PORTAL) within the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. [email protected]
This episode was sponsored by West Health Policy Center
Resources