GBONEWS: Health Care Fraudsters Trump Let Go; Aging, Disabilities ACL Agency Cut; Musk Exit Soon?; Longevity’s Imperative; Gene Hackman’s Death Exposes Caregiving Toils; Medicare Advantage Support Cracking; & MORE
GENERATIONS BEAT ONLINE NEWS
E-News of the Journalists Network on Generations.
April 4, 2025 — Volume 32, Number 6
EDITOR’S NOTE: GBONews, e-news of the Journalists Network on Generations (JNG), publishes alerts for journalists, producers and authors covering generational issues. If you have difficulty getting to the full issue of GBONews with the links provided below, simply go to www.gbonews.org to read the latest or past editions. Send your news of stories or books (by you and others), fellowships, awards or pertinent kvetches to GBO News Editor Paul Kleyman. [pfkleyman@gmail.com]. To subscribe to GBONews.org at no charge, simply send a request to Paul with your name, address, phone number and editorial affiliation or note that you freelance. For each issue, we’ll email the table of contents and links to the full issue at www.gbonews.org. GBONews does not provide its list to other entities.
In This Issue: Longevity’s Memory–MLK, Jr., 57 Years Ago, & Marching On!
1. FLOOD-ZONE SOURCES:
*** “Trump Says He’ll Stop Health Care Fraudsters. Last Time, He Let Them Walk,” by Brett Kelman, KFF Health News;
*** “Trump Abolishes The Office That Supports Many Seniors And People With Disabilities,” by Howard Gleckman, Forbes;
*** “Tracking the Trump Administration’s effects on science and health care,” by Katie Burke, Health Beat (AHCJ news);
*** “Musk could be headed for a Washington exit after turbulent times at Trump’s DOGE,” by Chris Megerian, Associated Press.
2. LONGEVITY’S WORTH (MORE THAN YEARS): *** “Longevity’s True Imperative: Live Long and Prosper for All,” by Paul Kleyman, Aging in America News.
3. GEN BEATLES NEWS: *** Ethnic Media Services Changes Name to American Community Media; *** Rave Reviews for Kevin Fagan’s Homelessness Book; *** Awards for Retirement Journalists Eisenberg, Farrell andWasik;
4. WORDWISE: *** ‘Elderly’ or ‘older’? Advocates and a dictionary address language on aging,” by Clara Germani, The Christian Science Monitor.
5. THE STORYBOARD: *** “Cracks in Medicare Advantage Support: Grassley’s Scrutiny Follows Rural Hospitals’ Breaking Point,” by Trudy Lieberman, Health Care Un-covered;
*** “How Gene Hackman’s Death Sheds a Light on the Caregiving Toils, Triumphs and Tragedies of a Younger Wife,” by Stephen M. Golant, PhD, Booming Encore;
*** “Supporting Family Caregivers In Hospital At Home,” by Rani E. Snyder, MPA, Health Affairs.
1. FLOOD-ZONE SOURCES
*** “Trump Says He’ll Stop Health Care Fraudsters. Last Time, He Let Them Walk,” by Brett Kelman, KFF Health News (April 1, 2025, also run on CBS News):
The Lede: “Five years ago, the CEO of one of the largest pain clinic companies in the Southeast was sentenced to more than three years in prison after being convicted in a $4 million illegal kickback scheme. But after just four months behind bars, John Estin Davis walked free.”
A Story From Two Faces: “President Donald Trump commuted Davis’ sentence in the last days of his first term. In a statement explaining the decision, the White House said that ‘no one suffered financially’ from Davis’ crime. In court, however, the Trump administration was saying something very different. As the president let him go, the Department of Justice alleged in a civil lawsuit that Davis and his company defrauded taxpayers out of tens of millions of dollars with excessive urine drug testing.”
The Stakes: “Since returning to the White House, Trump has said he will target fraud in Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, and his Republican allies in Congress have made combating fraud a key argument . . . . Trump said his administration had found ‘hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud’ without citing any specific examples of fraud.”
Out of Jail Free Cards: “But Trump’s history of showing leniency to convicted fraudsters contrasts with his present-day crackdown. In his first and second terms, Trump has granted pardons or commutations to at least 68 people convicted of fraud crimes or of interfering with fraud investigations, according to a KFF Health News review of court and clemency records, DOJ press releases, and news reports. At least 13 of those fraudsters were convicted in cases involving more than $1.6 billion of fraudulent claims filed with Medicare and Medicaid, according to the Department of Justice.
“And as one of the first actions of his second term, Trump fired 17 independent inspectors general responsible for rooting out fraud and waste in government. . . . . . . Trump issued about 190 pardons and commutations in the final two months of his first term, including for some health care fraudsters convicted of schemes with astonishing costs.”
*** “Trump Abolishes The Office That Supports Many Seniors And People With Disabilities,” by Howard Gleckman, Forbes (March 27, 2025) — The Lede: Gleckman, a veteran journalist and Senior Fellow of the Urban Institute, wrote, “The Trump administration is abolishing the office that manages and coordinates most federal programs for older adults and younger people with disabilities who live at home. At the same time, it is restructuring two offices that provide independent evaluation and analysis of patient safety and long-term care.”
Got Efficiency? “The elimination of the Administration for Community Living [ACL] will be a major blow to older adults and people with disabilities. It manages most federal supports, other than Medicaid and subsidized housing, for older adults living in non-institutional settings. Many programs ACL oversees are funded through the Older Americans Act, the umbrella law that includes Meals on Wheels, adult day, area agencies on aging, falls and elder abuse prevention, and respite care,” Gleckman wrote.
And: “The other major change that could impact older adults: The administration will eliminate two important research shops at HHS, the office of Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. They’d be merged into a new Office of Strategy.”
A Quote: “’This is part of a bigger assault on older adults,’ says Alison Barkoff, who led ACL during the Biden administration. ‘ACL serves as a hub for programs that benefit older adults and people with disabilities.’”
*** “Tracking the Trump Administration’s effects on science and health care,” by Katie Burke, Health Beat(Association of Health Care Journalists e-newsletter, March 12):
The Lede: “Since the Trump Administration took office in January, the onslaught of executive orders, memos, Cabinet appointees’ activities, funding cuts, layoffs and activities by Elon Musk and the temporary U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been overwhelming to follow and cover. . . . Journalists are caught in a monkey-in-the-middle-like state of documenting news that is volleying chaotically between impending problems and ones that have been temporarily stopped.”
Follow the Chaos: “Many problematic effects are continuing, often with far less coverage than the initial warning flares about the worst scenarios. These changes are having profound impacts on science, higher education and health care. Journalists are challenged to figure out which to follow up on when. It’s imperative that journalists communicate the local, tangible effects of these federal government disruptions to their readers.”
Where to Look: “ To do so, journalists need to not only connect with local agencies, government officials, health care institutions, nonprofits, and research institutions, but also know which Trump Administration initiative is advancing when. To help you do so, I’ve compiled a list of legal trackers and databases.” Burke includes multiple links offered by:
* “Liz Neeley, M.A., science communicator and Liminal founder, is leading an effort to compile information from bots, trackers, and expert consults to track the Administration’s effects on science and higher education. The tracker can be found , and you can submit links at that link as well. . . “
*JustSecurity tracks legal challenges to Trump Administration actions.
*The Chronicle of Higher Education is tracking legislation that restricts colleges’ efforts to advance diversity, equity and inclusion.
*Prateeksha Chandraghatgi, M.S., a climate tech entrepreneur and founder of Greenr Gifts, maintains a Google spreadsheet tracking Trump administration actions as well as Congressional actions that advance the Project 2025 agenda. People can submit tips or suggest additions to Chandraghatgi on Bluesky or Substack.
*** “Musk could be headed for a Washington exit after turbulent times at Trump’s DOGE,” by Chris Megerian, Associated Press (April 2, 2025): The Lede — “DOGE’s days appear to be numbered. Elon Musk recently suggested that he will be done with his work in the near future. President Donald Trump told reporters this week that ‘at some point, he’s going to be going back’ to running his companies. As far as the Department of Government Efficiency, Trump said ‘it will end.’”
April Fools Election Upshot: By the time you read this, Mr. Musk may well have taken an X-rocket beyond the DC Beltway, at least not a recalled Tesla Cybertruck. This story appeared less than 24 hours after, as this AP story noted, Susan Crawford defeated Brad Schimel, who Musk supported, and ensured the state Supreme Court’s liberal majority.” Musk poured $21 million and a cheese-head topper into the race, and he who would be king never likes a loser. Well, a loser with billions, at least, won’t drift far.
Meanwhile, reporters should keep their eyes on what residue will remain of DOGE that will continue its damage. Watch White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Stephen Miller, the administration’s most enduring and unelected puller of the levers of power. “Deputy”? Hardly.
2. LONGEVITY’S WORTH (MORE THAN YEARS)
*** “Longevity’s True Imperative: Live Long and Prosper for All,” by Paul Kleyman, Aging in America News (April 1, 2025): Following are the lede and link to my latest piece, just published in the excellent new online newsletter, “Aging in America News.”
The Lede: “Social Security, a “Ponzi Scheme”* — really? It’s not only this taint is profoundly false, but I’d expect the 1920s con artist Charles Ponzi would have chafed at being associated with the accusation’s musky lack of originality. The Ponzi smear is so stale, it first appeared in 1937, two years following Social Security’s enactment. . . .”
My Theme: “Is not in defense of the nation’s public pension system alone, but in my fatigue over hearing the same ol’, same ol’ complaints of conservatives and the billionaire class that have put a drag on our ability to realize the potential for older Americans to contribute to the nation’s life and economy.”
The Issues: “Whether it’s affordable housing, effective health and long-term care, age-diverse workplaces, income equality, food security, or a host of other concerns, the slouching politics of today is sidelining public investments in the stabilizing elements of people’s lives. These personal and social structures are the building blocks of the longevity economy, the advancements that can enable us to thrive throughout our ever-lengthening lives.”
The Gains: “Aging is an issue mishandled by political and media leaders on both the right, which persists in the falsehood that longer lives pose a national financial burden, and those on left, who reflexively get mired in playing defense against threats to old age security without also spotlighting the enormous contributions of older people. A national commitment, literally to the American future, promises gains in trillions of dollars more to the country’s economy, not to mention to securing better lives for everyone.”
3. GEN BEATLES NEWS
*** “EMS Changes Our Name” — We are American Community Media (ACoM)”: That’s the now-former Ethnic Media Services, whose founder, MacArthur “genius,” Sandy Close, also co-created our own Journalists in Aging Fellows Program, when she headed the nonprofit New America Media (NAM) as part of Pacific News Service, which folded in 2017.
NAM first emerged in 1996, as New California Media, when she learned of numerous ethnic media outlets, from Black newspapers to many non-English-language publications, being ignored by mainstream media, whether from having a seat in government press rooms to benefiting from much general advertising support. In bringing publishers together, often at big, round Chinese restaurant tables, she learned that regardless of language, the publications encountered similar issues of financial support and news distribution, while providing their unique perspectives on the news that were largely invisible to mainstream America.
Also, in those initial years, Close connected in her travels throughout the United States with ethnic media publishers facing similar limitations, and she expanded the organization nationally, as New America Media under the PNS banner, in 2005. GBONews’ editor joined the staff in 2008 to develop the Ethnic Elders Newsbeat.
Following the demise of EMS/PNS, Close reconstituted her efforts to post ethnic media stories from around the country, while organizing media briefings with expert sources on major stories of the day. Those news briefings, live or online, have provided reporters with modest resources to bring their audiences deeper coverage and story analysis than they’d otherwise have access to.
In its new ACoM iteration, Close explained, “But in the current discussions about the death of local journalism, it’s clear that the very news outlets that have served and continue to serve these demographics for so long are still regarded as secondary. Rarely do stories about local journalism recognize the enduring power of media serving distinct ‘ethnic’ audiences.”
She added, “Had general-market media served them, there wouldn’t have been a need for America’s community media. Now, with mainstream media fragmenting further and losing audiences, our community media is more important than ever.”
Those who know Sandy Close, though, are well assured, as we were at her 83rd birthday celebration in January, that her wide-ranging community will always find a place at a round table well provided with Chinese fare.
Meanwhile, those wishing to learn more, may contact ACoM’s very able Communications Director Jessica Martin: jmartin@ethnicmediaservices.org.
*** Congratulations to Kevin Fagan for multiple raves of his book, The Lost and Found: A True Story of Homelessness, Found Family, and Second Chances (One Signal/Atria-Simon & Schuster), which GBONews.org spotlighted in January.
Fagan covered homelessness for the San Francisco Chronicle since the early 1990s. The book tells the story of living on the streets through the lives of two individuals, whom he followed for years, one of them into her 70s. The New Yorker’s Feb. 21 review, “A Profoundly Empathetic Book on Homelessness in the Bay Area,” by Jay Caspian Kang, carried the subhead, “Kevin Fagan’s new wok moves beyond predictable policy critique to offer a powerful reminder of the moral side of the crisis.
In The Guardian US (March 13, 2015), Dani Anguiano’s kudos run under the headline, “From sleeping in doorways to reporting on homelessness: the journalist chronicling an American crisis,” with the Dek—“Kevin Fagan, who spent decades at the San Francisco Chronicle, argues in a new book that ‘atrociously unforgivable’ US poverty must be addressed.”
*** Veteran journalists on retirement, Rich Eisenberg, Chris Farrell and John Wasik, received Schulze Publication Awards for their feature writing recently from EIX (Entrepreneur & Innovation Exchange), a free peer-reviewed resource on entrepreneurship and innovation, based at the University of St Thomas, St. Paul, MN.
Eisenberg’s won for Creating a Succession Plan for Your Business; Farrell’s kudos were for How to Turn a Hobby Into a Business, and Wasik was honored for Should Gas Stations Become Charging Stations? The annual award, named for Richard M. Schulze, founder of the Best Buy Co., with funding from the Schulze Family Foundation. EIX covers “the best research on the practice of entrepreneurship” for both aspiring and practicing entrepreneurs.
* PLUS, Eisenberg received the 2025 Retirement Pioneer Award from the Retirement Coaches Association, given to an individual who has made “significant contributions to the field of retirement planning and aging.” He said, “I was told my MarketWatch column, ‘The View From Unretirement,’ the ‘Friends Talk Money’ podcast I co-host and other work and volunteering I do in my unretirement led to this wonderful honor.”
4. WORDWISE
*** ‘Elderly’ or ‘older’? Advocates and a dictionary address language on aging. by Clara Germani, The Christian Science Monitor (Nov. 15, 2024): The Lede – “Experts in the field of aging get frustrated with terms like ‘senior’ and ‘elderly’ commonly used to describe a diverse cast of characters as likely to be in a wheelchair as climbing a mountain. Now, they have one of the world’s major dictionaries ready to change one important age-related reference.
A Quote: “‘We’re trying to change culture,’ explains Patricia D’Antonio, executive director of the Gerontological Society of America’s (GSA) National Center to Reframe Aging. “How we communicate about aging,” she says, can drive stereotypical perceptions of older people, from ‘Everybody’s in a nursing home’ to ‘Everybody’s retired and on a cruise’ – while missing the reality of diversity in between.
Dictionaries: D’Antonio wrote letters asking the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) and Merriam-Webster to tweak their definitions of ‘ageism’ – which both described the term as age discrimination, especially aimed at ‘the elderly.’ The aging experts asked to change that to ‘older people’ – a broader, more inclusive definition.
“The OED responded in a week, agreeing that ‘elderly’ – once considered a polite euphemism for ‘old’ – had taken on associations of infirmity. But the editors also noted that ‘older people’ is a comparative term that prompts the question ‘Older than whom?’ (Merriam-Webster has not responded.)
Victories: “Still, the OED concluded, ‘Having re-examined the evidence, we agree that the current OED definition can be improved. A future version is likely to refer to the discriminatory treatment of people because they are considered too old, rather than because they are ‘elderly’.
“’That victory represents ‘a small change,’ says Ms. D’Antonio. ‘But we know that if we make people aware, [biases] will start to change.’ It follows her successful campaign in 2019 and 2020 to get The Associated Press, the American Medical Association, and the American Psychological Association to accept National Center to Reframe Aging guidance for age-related language in their style manuals.
“OED senior editor Fiona McPherson cautions that while the gerontologists may be trying to raise awareness, ‘It’s not a dictionary’s role to drive language change; it’s … to reflect and to show that the language has changed. ‘We’re descriptive … not prescriptive,’ she adds.”
5. THE STORYBOARD
*** “Cracks in Medicare Advantage Support: Grassley’s Scrutiny Follows Rural Hospitals’ Breaking Point,” by Trudy Lieberman, Health Care Un-covered (March 21, 2025, Substack): The Dek — “After years of federal support and little oversight, Medicare Advantage is facing rare scrutiny from longtime ally Sen. Grassley — just as rural hospitals say MA is pushing them to the brink.”
The Lede: “Medicare Advantage, introduced (originally under the name Medicare+Choice) in the late 1990s to encourage private insurers to offer Medicare-replacement plans through the federal government, was a fledgling product when Iowa U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley emerged as a champion of the program. He would later argue in a congressional hearing that if it was cut, as some senators were advocating at the time, it would have a ‘disproportionate effect’ on rural areas like his.
What’s More: “Over the years Grassley and his Republican and Democratic colleagues authorized generous government payments to Medicare Advantage plan sellers with little or no oversight of their marketing practices. In turn the Medicare Advantage industry honored its Congressional supporters with public praise as “Medicare Advantage Champions.”
“The government’s laissez-faire relationship with the industry may now be ending. Grassley recently sent a letter to UnitedHealth Group demanding that the largest seller of Medicare Advantage plans answer questions about the company’s business practices and supply records relating to a compliance program that monitors the accuracy and appropriateness of diagnosis codes submitted to the government.”
Rural Hospitals: “Hospitals across the country are already telling patients they no longer will accept Medicare Advantage plans because of delays for care and denials for payment. It’s estimated that some one million beneficiaries will need to pay more or change their health care plans.
In late February the American Hospital Association (AHA) issued an ominous report: the nation’s rural hospitals are facing increasing challenges as some Medicare Advantage plans are adversely affecting patient care. The AHA said that in the last decade more than 100 rural hospitals have closed or changed structure.
Another 429 hospitals in rural areas are at financial risk of closing. . . . A recent report by the Nebraska Hospital Association, “Failing Families and Jeopardizing Hospitals,” presents a damning picture of Medicare Advantage in the state.”
*** “How Gene Hackman’s Death Sheds a Light on the Caregiving Toils, Triumphs and Tragedies of a Younger Wife,” by Stephen M. Golant, PhD, Booming Encore (March 2025):
The Lede: “In February of this year, movie star icon Gene Hackman and his wife of over 30 years, Betsy Arakawa—herself an accomplished classical pianist—were both found dead in their Santa Fe, NM home. . . . But the press coverage was amplified by the unusual circumstances of their simultaneous deaths. Commentators questioned if their ending was preventable and whether more proactive caregiving actions by his wife would have made a difference.”
What Happened: First to die was Ms. Arakawa, aged 65, from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. . . . However, Hackman did not report her death. The medical examiner speculated that he was unaware she had died because of his advanced Alzheimer’s disease. Six days later, 95-year-old Hackman died due to complications from heart disease. But another eight days went by before a maintenance worker came upon their bodies.”
Backup Needed: “Experts were also quick to question why Ms. Arakawa assumed all the caring responsibilities herself, given the round-the-clock demands of looking after someone with advanced Alzheimer’s disease. There was always the danger that her incapacitation would leave Hackman helpless. Yet, there was no backup arrangement for a family member, friend, or neighbor to take over assistance responsibilities. Nor did she hire any paid help. Because this couple did not lack for financial resources, this was an unnecessary risk.”
Older Caregiver’s Dilemma: “The understated tragedy is the untimely death of Hackman’s spouse, Ms. Arakawa. Her plight, however, is not uncommon. When a woman marries a much older man, his higher chronological age puts him at greater risk of incurring physical or mental disabilities or leaving her a widow. Consequently, by the time the once younger wife reaches her own advanced age and with it poor health or functional decline, she has no caring spouse to depend on. She is alone.”
* “The gerontechnologist will see you now ,” by Margit Weisgal, Baltimore Sun (Feb. 19, 2025): This profile of Golant, author of Aging in the Right Place (Health Professions Press, 2015), appeared in the Sun’s “Prime Time Living” magazine supplement. Weisgal, a 2024-25 Journalists in Aging Fellow, wrote, “Stephen M. Golant, PhD, professor emeritus in gerontology, University of Florida, adapted the word ‘gerontechnologist’ to describe the direction he is taking to improve the quality of life of older adults, who want to remain in their homes. Specifically, he is helping to make our homes more comfortable as we age and for us to feel more in control of our lives and surroundings.’”
*** “Supporting Family Caregivers In Hospital At Home,” by Rani E. Snyder, MPA, Health Affairs (March 6, 2025): The Lede: “Based on evidence that has emerged from the Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCaH) waiver initiative, policy makers and health systems are waking up to the realization that well-supported family caregivers are essential to the success of efforts to improve health care and outcomes for older patients. The AHCaH allows certain Medicare-certified hospitals to receive hospital-level payment for inpatient-level care provided in patients’ homes.
“Family caregivers have played a key role in the growing number of Hospital-at-Home programs that have come on line as part of the waiver initiative, launched by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for fee-for-service Medicare patients in November 2020. Congress has extended the waiver twice, and it is now set to expire at the end of March. An additional extension is critical to enable continued support for promising Hospital-at-Home programs and to encourage more hospitals to adopt the model.”
Says Who? “A sweeping CMS study of the AHCaH initiative released in 2024 found that patient and caregiver feedback on the model was ‘overwhelmingly positive.’ Caregivers described feeling ‘more comfortable and less stressed when their loved ones were cared for at home,’ and they noted other benefits, such as effective care coordination, smooth communication with providers, and opportunities to be involved in the care process. A scoping review published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing found that patients and caregivers perceived Hospital at Home positively, viewing it as safe and effective. Patients and caregivers said they were more involved in shared decision making while in Hospital-at-Home programs than when they had received traditional inpatient care.”
Snyder is vice president, program at The John A. Hartford Foundation, which provided grant support for some of the cited research. The foundation also supports the Journalists in Aging Fellows Program, the collaboration between GBONews.org publisher, the Journalists Network on Generations and the Gerontological Society of America. Health Affairs is one of the nation’s leading health-research journals. –
The Journalists Network on Generations (JNG), founded in 1993, publishes Generations Beat Online News (GBONews.org). JNG provides information and networking opportunities for journalists covering generational issues, but not those representing services, products or lobbying agendas. Copyright 2025 Paul Kleyman. For more information contact GBO Editor Paul Kleyman.
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