Charlie Baker wants to expand Medicare coverage for low-income seniors as part of his proposed spending package for the next fiscal year. Under the changes, which are subject to legislative approval, a 79- year-old Medicare recipient with $22,000 in social security income could see a drop in out-of-pocket health care costs from an estimated $4,300 to $450 a.
Crises put spotlight on issues facing older residents
The Massachusetts state flag AP FILE PHOTO/STEVEN SENNE
Published: 5/27/2021 4:02:05 PM
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken an especially devastating toll on older residents of Massachusetts, but state officials and advocates said Thursday that the way communities and organizations responded to meet the needs of some of the most vulnerable residents proved the strength of the age- and dementia-friendly movement in Massachusetts.
Elder Affairs Secretary Elizabeth Chen, AARP MA State Director Mike Festa and others gathered virtually Thursday to celebrate Older Americans Month and to release a two-year progress report titled “ReiMAgine Aging, the Age-Friendly Massachusetts Action Plan” to outline the state’s “work to become an age- and dementia-friendly state during the two global public health emergencies the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing systemic racism.”
For the second straight week, Cohasset reported single-digit new COVID-19 cases.
After reporting 19 new cases in the first report of April, Cohasset saw just eight new cases last week according to the state’s latest numbers.
The eight new cases bring Cohasset’s total count up to 404 since the start of the pandemic.
Cohasset remains in the state’s “yellow” risk category for a seventh straight week. The town continues to distance itself from the 11 straight weeks spent in the highest risk “red” category.
The town’s average daily incidence rate per 100,000 residents fell again this week, decreasing from 21.4 to 17.5.