Tuesday Briefing: Aging to Push Health Care Spending

To start the week, readers should catch up on figures from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) that health care spending will swell in the next several years. No surprise there, but home care will see a surge in spending, as well.

Home health spending will rise 6.7% from 2016 to 2025, according to national health expenditure estimates. The spending is predicted to be driven by growth in Medicare, and aging baby boomers will utilize more home care. Aging will push the health sector to reach nearly 20% of gross domestic product by 2025.

Long-Time Senior Living Provider Expands to Home Care, Adult Day Care—As the majority of older adults wish to age in place, senior living providers are weighing their options when it comes to providing in-home care services in addition to assisted and independent living. One provider with a 60-year history of operating a nursing home, then moving into assisted living, is now adding home care and adult day care to its offerings for seniors.

Brookdale Sees Home Health As ‘Competitive Differentiator’—Brookdale Senior Living (NYSE: BKD) has found home health to be its diamond in the rough in its latest quarterly earnings. As the largest senior housing provider in the nation, Brookdale executives see the company’s crossover as one of the top 10 largest home health providers to be a key distinction from its peers.

Almost Family Seeks a ‘Level Playing Field’ in Managed Care—As home health care companies continue to take on more managed care patients, dealing with the delivery and payment system has been presented as both an opportunity and a significant challenge. One of the nation’s largest home health care providers, Almost Family (Nasdaq: AFAM), is working on solutions to managed care burdens by advocating for several bills through a state-by-state approach to ease the burdens of managed care.