Connecticut Communities for Older Adults

Last September, the non-partisan Connecticut Legislative Commission on Aging (CoA) delivered a webinar presentation on creating livable communities for Connecticut’s older adults, titled “Planning and Zoning in an Aging Connecticut.” It highlighted new approaches to city planning that benefit elderly constituents, including municipal elderly living initiatives, outdoor libraries, and “Complete Streets,” a method to make streets safer for pedestrians. More information on these topics and others can be found on CoA’s Livable Communities website, which offers resources and helps Connecticut citizens plan for an aging population.

During the presentation, the commission also discussed the difficulty elderly individuals and their families face in finding the “right” place to call home when more help becomes necessary for daily living. Seniors must determine the level of care and services that are right for them. Options include home health care, which provides some services right in an individual’s home, and nursing homes, which provide a much higher level of care in a community setting.

Using data from Connecticut’s eLicense website, we created a searchable map of every licensed assisted living, home health care, residential living and other facility in the state. You can search by facility type or city. Click here to use the interactive version of the map shown below!

Health Coverage “Cadillac Tax” Coming in 2018

The federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) includes a 40% excise tax on high-cost employer-sponsored health coverage, often called the Cadillac tax, to be implemented in 2018 (26 U.S.C. § 48901). According to a recent analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 26% of employers offering health benefits could be subject to the tax in 2018 unless they make changes to their health care plans.

The excise tax applies to the aggregate cost of an employee’s applicable coverage that exceeds a certain dollar limit, or the “excess benefit.” “Applicable coverage” includes the cost of the health coverage (e.g., insurance premium) and contributions to tax-advantaged health accounts (e.g., flexible savings accounts (FSAs) and health savings accounts (HSAs)).

In 2018, the dollar limits are $10,200 for single coverage and $27,500 for non-single coverage (e.g., family coverage or multiemployer plan coverage). Dollar limits will be adjusted for inflation in future years.

The coverage provider (e.g., employer or insurer) is responsible for paying the excise tax. Experts expect that employers will reduce the health coverage they offer employees to limit the impact of the excise tax. According to Kaiser, this will result in employers shifting health care expenses to employees who will have to pay a greater share of their health care costs out of pocket.

The excise tax was included in the ACA to raise revenue to cover the costs of other ACA provisions and to discourage employers from offering overly generous health plans to help contain overall health care spending.

For more details about the Cadillac tax, see Kaiser’s Issue Brief and the Congressional Research Service’s report, both from August 2015.

Civics Education Debate Spreads across Country as States Consider Testing Students’ Knowledge

The Education Commission of the States (ECS) recently released an “Education Trends” report on the Civics Education Initiative, which aims to have all states require students to pass the United States Citizenship Civics test, a 100-question test that immigrants must pass as a condition of becoming U.S. citizens. 

The initiative’s supporters and opponents disagree over whether civics education should be factual or skilled-based.  Supporters believe that a civics test will instill civic responsibilities and inspire civic participation by requiring students to learn about our country’s history and government. Opponents, however, believe that civic education must begin by inspiring, engaging, and challenging students. Forcing students to memorize facts could discourage them from engaging in civic affairs. 

ECS recaps the initiative’s legislative efforts across the country in 2015:

Law Enforcement Recommends Changes to Reduce Police Shootings

In the wake of recent police-community tensions, a report by a police research and policy group, which includes law enforcement officers from across the country, has called for major changes in law enforcement tactics. The report, issued by the Police Executive Research Forum, analyzed controversial police shootings over the last year and concluded that some could have been avoided. Consequently, it urges police departments to adopt training methods and tactics that encourage peaceful resolution of issues. According to the report, “it is time for an overhaul of police training, policy, supervision, and culture on use of force.”


Read the full report here:
http://www.policeforum.org/assets/reengineeringtraining1.pdf

When it comes to Toy-Related Deaths, Tricycles are the Most Common Culprit

According to an article in the October issue of Pediatrics, in 2012 “tricycle accidents were the most common cause of reported toy-related deaths in children” (i.e., five out of 11 toy-related deaths were trike-related.) From 2005-2009, trikes were the second most common cause of toy-related death in US children under age 15 (i.e., 17 out of 88 toy-related deaths were trike-related.)

Researchers also examined data associated with tricycle-related injuries treated in emergency departments (ED) in 2012 and 2013 and reported, among other things, that:

• there were approximately 9,340 trike related accidents treated in EDs during that time period;
• the average age of injury was three years old, though the most common age of injury was two years old;
• the most commonly (1) injured body region was the head, (2) fractured body part was the elbow, and (3) reported type of injury was laceration;
• Of those children treated at the ED for trike-related injuries, 2.4% were admitted to the hospital; and
• most trike-related injuries reportedly occurred at home.

To reduce the risk of injury researchers suggested that children should (1) wear elbow pads and helmets while riding trikes and (2) only ride trikes under adult supervision. 





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