In Brief

Millions of dollars intended for investigating health care fraud may have been misused by the FBI for counterterrorism activities between 2000 and 2003, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office. Furthermore, the report said “the FBI had no effective mechanism in place” to ensure compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which established a separate program for investigating health care fraud in 1996. The GAO study was requested by Sen. Charles Grassley, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

A study by AARP indicates that most adults want to remain in their homes. In a survey of more than 1,000 people over the age of 50, 74 percent said they strongly agreed with the statement, “What I’d really like to do is stay in my current residence for as long as possible.” The percentage increased in the older age groups, with 86 percent of those 75 and older strongly agreeing with the statement. The study, Beyond 50.05, A Report to the Nation on Livable Communities, also recommends the funding of home care and other community-based services.

If all caregivers were paid for their time, the value of their work would be worth about $257 billion annually, according to a report from the National Alliance for Caregiving. The study counts 44.4 million people as caregivers — those who provide unpaid care to another adult. Fifty-nine percent of these caregivers either work, or have worked, while providing care, and 62 percent made adjustments to their work life by taking time away or leaving their jobs.