Friday, August 14, 2026: Insurer denials stay high across Medicare Advantage and Medicaid, new

SeniorLiving.News · 2026-08-14

Insurer denials stay high across Medicare Advantage and Medicaid, new report finds — your morning briefing.
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SeniorLiving.News · Friday, August 14, 2026

Good morning.

Daily Briefing

Insurer denials stay high across Medicare Advantage and Medicaid, new report finds

A new report says insurance companies are turning down a large share of claims in Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and Affordable Care Act plans. For older adults, that can mean delays or denials for care they were counting on. It adds to worries raised at a town hall in Oregon, where people shared painful stories about their own health coverage.

Money and ownership are also in the news. A big real estate company plans to buy eight senior living communities in an $873 million deal, and several operators are expanding memory care and assisted living. Nursing home pay is shifting too, with the staff who track resident care earning some of the year's largest raises.

There were hard stories and warm ones. A care center director admitted taking money from a deaf tenant, and a memory care fire was ruled intentional. But two memory care residents also charmed the internet with a simple dance.

Read the full briefing →

Top Stories

Report: High insurer denials in Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and ACA plans

A new report says many claims are being denied across major coverage types, which can leave older adults waiting for or losing needed care.

American Healthcare REIT to buy 8 Kensington senior living communities for $873M

A large ownership deal could change who runs these communities, and such shifts often affect staffing, costs, and daily life for residents.

Nursing home care-tracking staff earn the year's largest raises

The staff who record resident care got bigger raises than executives, a sign of how important accurate care records have become.

Assisted living director admits taking money from a deaf tenant

The case is a reminder for families to watch finances closely and ask questions about how a loved one's money is handled.

Health care horror stories shared at Wyden town hall in Salem

Residents described serious problems with their coverage, showing how confusing and costly the health system can feel for older adults.

Your Topics

Health & Wellness

This week highlights fresh thinking on healthy aging, including how travel and tourism may improve older adults' satisfaction with their health. Researchers also examine how education and past public policies have shaped the health of older Americans over time.

A New Chapter in Healthy Aging · University of Utah Health

Identifying the interactive pathways shaping health satisfaction among Chinese older adults with tourism participation · Nature

Public Policies in Historical Context and the Association Between Education and US Older Adults’ Health · Milbank Memorial Fund

Money & Retirement

New Jersey is expanding its retirement savings program to reach more workers whose employers don't offer a plan. Other reports look at typical savings for people in their late thirties and early forties, and at how public pensions are governed.

Representative Bird Releases Statement in Response to "Retirement at Risk: The Political Economy of Public Pension Governance" Article · ohiohouse.gov

No retirement savings? NJ broadens program for privately employed · NJ Spotlight News

Retirement Savings for Ages 35 to 44: Typical Balances and How You Compare to Peers · Investopedia

Caregiving & Family

Today's stories look at the personal side of caregiving, including a daughter's shift into caring for her mother. Others examine caregiving's effect on the workforce and the strain on elder care facilities recovering after an earthquake.

Role reversal: Transitioning from my mother’s daughter to her caregiver · San Antonio Express-News

Opinion | Workers disappeared. Caregiving helps explain why. · The Washington Post

Elder care facilities struggle with caregiving after quake · Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Travel & Leisure

Travelers 65 and older may wonder whether airlines offer senior discounts, and a longtime traveling couple shares the ten comfortable items they always pack. In company news, Travel + Leisure Co. announced pricing on $900 million of senior secured notes due 2031.

Do Airlines Offer Senior Discounts? Here’s What Travelers Need to Know · Travel + Leisure

My Grandparents Have Been Traveling for 60 Years—Here Are the 10 Comfy Items They Always Pack As Retirees · Travel + Leisure

Travel + Leisure Co. Announces Pricing of $900 Million of Senior Secured Notes Due 2031 · Business Wire

Medicare, Social Security & Benefits

Social Security and Medicare were front and center at community events across the country, as former officials and lawmakers held town halls, press conferences, and meetings with seniors to discuss the programs' future.

THOMPSON, FORMER SOCIAL SECURITY COMMISSIONER O’MALLEY, AND PRESIDENT OF NATIONAL COMMITTEE TO PRESERVE SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE RICHTMAN HOST SOCIAL SECURITY TOWN HALL IN WOODLAND · Representative Mike Thompson | (.gov)

Dunlap holds press conference on future of Social Security · WABI

Press Release: Davids Meets with Johnson County Seniors on Social Security Report · Quiver Quantitative

Senior Living & Housing

Epoch Senior Living has launched a high-end brand and expanded its memory care offerings. In other news, a Cedar Rapids assisted living community teamed up with a local elementary school for a supply drive, and a $248.9 million refinancing was arranged for a large seniors housing portfolio.

Epoch Senior Living Launches New High-End Brand, Expands Memory Care · Senior Housing News

Cedar Rapids assisted living facility partners with elementary school on supply drive · KCRG

$248.9M Refinancing Arranged for 5,027-Unit Multifamily Seniors Housing Portfolio · Yield PRO

Technology & Online Safety

New reports highlight the most common online scams aimed at older adults. Guides also list laptops suited for seniors and show how technology supports connection and independence.

What Are the Top Online Scams Targeting Older Adults? · ncoa.org

The Best Laptops for Older Adults · The New York Times

How technology can help older adults stay connected and independent · Mayo Clinic Press

On This Day

2023. Former U.S. president Donald Trump is charged in Georgia along with 18 others in attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election in that state, his fourth indictment of 2023.

2022. An explosion destroys a market in Armenia, killing six people and injuring dozens.

2021. A magnitude 7.2 earthquake strikes southwestern Haiti, killing at least 2,248 people and causing a humanitarian crisis.

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