I recently went to see the movie "Gravity" starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney.  It is a fast-paced, exciting thrill-ride from start to finish. After we left the movie, and I replayed the life-threatening events for the actors that unfolded on the screen, I could not help but begin drawing comparisons to the long-term care funding crisis currently unfolding in America today.

Start with the stars of the movie: Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are both baby boomers and they find themselves unprepared to deal with a sudden crisis that puts them in immediate jeopardy. Most seniors and baby boomers are also unprepared for what is too often a sudden health crisis through which they must safely navigate. In space, an unexpected collision with a satellite or other object is disastrous. For a family, an unexpected fall or rapid decline in health can also be disastrous. The astronauts in "Gravity" had to contend with limited oxygen and how they could conserve this precious resource long enough to find sanctuary. For families confronting the costs of long term care, money is like oxygen. It is a precious resource in limited supply that must be conserved. The biggest fear of the young is not living long enough, and the biggest fear of people in long-term care is living too long and outliving their "oxygen" supply.

Once disaster strikes in the movie, Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are literally tethered together and entirely dependent on each other for survival. Spouses and their family also experience a similar "tethering" effect where they become very reliant on one another to make it through a long-term care crisis. The feeling of being overwhelmed can be helped by sharing the burden, and focusing on the ultimate goal of making sure a loved one will be able to receive the best possible care.

In the movie, the astronauts are prepared for every contingency and have dedicated support systems in place to get them through each phase of their mission. Nonetheless, when disaster strikes things quickly spin out of control. In life, too few people have made plans for how to handle long-term care. A future long-term care patient may have close loved ones, but those family and friends may not be able to drop everything in devotion to a patient's care. Families should put in time now to discuss the wishes of loved ones when it comes to long-term care, and understand the financial situation and available resources.  Are there savings and investments that can be accessed; is there a long-term care and/or life-insurance policy in place that can be converted to pay for care-- and where is it; is there a final will or living will, and should a power-of-attorney document be in place?

In the movies, our heroes often work their way through challenges with a combination of luck and skill (and, of course, some movie magic) to find their way to a happy ending.

For families confronting the hard decisions and costs surrounding long-term care, however, they will not be able to count on a hero swinging in at the last minute to rescue them. But, a happy ending is possible for families that take the time now to prepare, seek out information and know how to work together to make sure their loved one will be able to achieve a safe landing.

About Chris Orestis: Chris Orestis, nationally known senior health-care advocate and expert is CEO of Life Care Funding (www.lifecarefunding.com), which created the model for converting life insurance policies into protected Long-Term Care Benefit funds. His company has been providing care benefits to policy holders since 2007. A former life insurance industry lobbyist with a background in long-term care issues, he created the model to provide an option for middle-class people who are not wealthy enough to pay for long-term care, and not poor enough to qualify for Medicaid.

This year alone, 238,000 men will be diagnosed with new cases of prostate cancer, the most common incidence of the disease. More than 234,580 men and women will learn they have breast cancer, the second most common today, according to the National Cancer Institute.

All told, about 13.7 million Americans are living with cancer or a history of cancer.*

Chances are, you know one or more of them.

"Friends, family, co-workers - they can all play an important role in helping a cancer patient's recovery simply by providing emotional support," says pioneering cancer psychotherapist Dr. Niki Barr, author of "Emotional Wellness, The Other Half of Treating Cancer," (canceremotionalwellbeing.com).

After a diagnosis of cancer, people have a greater need for social support, which has been shown to influence health outcomes, according to a National Institutes of Health report. Of the nine types of social support, the report says emotional support is among the most important.

"Even if you're not among the person's closest friends or family, you can help far more than you imagine simply by being encouraging and supportive," says Barr, who works exclusively with cancer patients and their loved ones.

"I understand people don't always know what to say to someone who's just been diagnosed or is in the midst of treatments and yes, sometimes they do say the wrong thing," Barr says. "I remind my patients often to refuse to listen to cancer 'horror stories,' so please, don't tell those!"

While everyone is different, Barr says that she's found a few things her patients consistently say benefit them:

• Sometimes saying nothing at all says everything. If your friend or loved one wants to talk about her treatments, complain about his situation, or not talk at all, being a good listener or simply a quiet presence speaks volumes. When a person complains, many of us jump to "help" by suggesting solutions. That's likely not what your friend or loved one is looking for. As my patients have said time and time again, sometimes they just want to get it all off their chest. An empathetic listener is all the help they need.

• Make your offer of help specific. "Call me if you need anything at all," puts the burden on your loved one - who already carries a tremendous burden! Instead, you might offer to make dinner for her family on Wednesday night and ask what meal everyone enjoys. Or volunteer to drive him to his doctor appointment on Monday afternoon. This makes it easy for your friend to politely accept or decline your offer, and it ensures you provide the assistance you feel comfortable providing.

• Not sure what to talk about? Follow his lead. Some days, my patients want to talk only about their illness, the treatment they're undergoing, and how they feel. Other days, they want to talk about anything BUT cancer. We all have days when we're immersed in our own lives and other days when we want to be distracted - or to just feel normal.

• If you're not sure what to say, err on the side of being positive. Don't say what you don't know - for instance, you don't know that everything is going to be just fine. But if you admire your loved one's strength or sense of humor, if your friend's attitude inspires you, tell them so. We all benefit from hearing a sincere compliment.

When a person who's going through what may be the most difficult, stressful event of their lives knows that you care, it makes a difference, Barr says.

"If you're truly at a loss for words, it never hurts to simply say, 'I'm thinking about you."

*as of Jan. 1, 2012; National Cancer Institute

About Niki Barr, Ph.D. (@NikiBarrPhD)

Niki Barr, Ph.D. founded a pioneering psychotherapy practice dedicated to working with cancer patients in all stages of the disease, along with their family members, caregivers and friends. In her book, she describes an "emotional wellness toolbox" patients can put together with effective and simple strategies, ready to use at any time, for helping them move forward through cancer. Dr. Barr is a dynamic and popular speaker, sharing her insights with cancer patients and clinicians across the nation.

That when my husband and I created It's In The Genes, Breast Cancer Advocates fighting the fight against Breast Cancer. I help My Sisters, My Mothers, My Grandmothers, My Aunts, My Firends, My Community find the resources they need to survive.

It's in the Genes has partnered with Total Life Style Changes, INC. a Maryland non-profit 501 (c)3 corporation. We assist those dealing with these issues by educating, empowering and informing about Breast Cancer. We know that our help is needed if we are going to win against this fight and we are ready to Do Something! Are you?

WASHINGTON - Today, Finance and Judiciary Committee Ranking Members Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sent letters to the 47 different companies that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) contracted with to develop, implement, and operate HealthCare.gov, ObamaCare's online marketplace for the federal health insurance exchanges.  The website has been plagued with delays, errors and faulty information since its launch on October 1.

The Senators requested a detailed analysis of the work each contractor has performed to date, the cost of that work, and timelines and deliverables that the entities had to meet for CMS as part of their scope of work in the development and creation of the website.

Hatch and Grassley sent the letter to the following contractors: A. Reddix & Associates; Accenture Federal Services; Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc; CGI; Cognosante, LLC; CSC; CSSi; CSSS; David-James, LLC; Deloitte; eGlobal Interactive; Genova Technologies; George Washington University; Heitech Services; HIS; IBM; ICP Systems, LLC; IDL Solutions; Information Systems Consulting Group Inc; Innosoft; KAT Communications; MAXIMUS Federal Services Inc; McKinsey &Co; Mitre; Northrop Gumman; Noblis; QSSI;Quality Technology;Porter Novelli Public Strategies; PricewaterhouseCoopers; Relis, LLC; Leidos; Sage North America; Sentel Corp; Serco; Soft-Con Enterprices; Spherecom; Strategi; Summit Consulting; Terremark; Truven Health Analytics; TICG; Turning Point Technologies; Unicom; URS; General Dynamics IT; and Verizon Business Network Services.

A signed copy of the letter can be found HERE and the text of the letter as well as a list of contractors is below: 

As the Ranking Members of the Senate Finance and Judiciary Committees, we are writing to obtain information regarding the work your company has performed to help implement the federally facilitated marketplace (FFM) mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). 

As part of our Congressional oversight of PPACA, we are trying to better understand the roles and responsibilities of each of the contractors working on the FFM.

Specifically, we request that you provide us with the following information:

(1) Copies of all contracts awarded to your company by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) related to the design, development, implementation or evaluation of the health insurance exchanges being established pursuant to PPACA.  Please identify each contract by CMS contract number.

(2) Copies of all task and delivery orders issued by CMS to your company under contracts identified in response to (1) above.

(3) Copies of all modifications issued by CMS to the contracts, task orders and delivery orders identified in response to (1) and (2) above.

(4) Copies of the solicitations, together with all amendments, issued by CMS that resulted in the award to your company of the contracts identified in response to question (1).  Please identify each solicitation by the CMS solicitation number.

(5) If the contract(s) identified in response to (1) above was a sole source contract(s), please provide a copy of the following documents published by CMS:  Notice of Intent to Award Sole Source; Sole Source Award Notice.

(6) The names, work addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses of all CMS Contracting Officers, Project Officers, Contracting Officer Technical Representatives, Task Order Managers, and Delivery Order Managers associated with or assigned to the contracts, task orders and delivery orders identified in response to (1), (2), (3), and (4).

(7) Copies of all invoices submitted by your company to CMS for payment pursuant to work performed and/or goods delivered to CMS under the contracts, task orders, and delivery orders identified in response to (1), (2) and (3) above.

(8) Copies of all project schedules, delivery schedules, and project timelines imposed by contract or developed and used by your company to track performance/deliverables under the contracts, task orders, and delivery orders identified in response to (1), (2) and (3) above.

(9)   Copies of all reports, memoranda, emails or any other records reflecting the results of testing performed by CMS and/or your company on the contract, task or delivery order deliverables, when the testing occurred, and the names of the CMS employees to whom the testing results were reported.

(10) Please provide a timeline for all activities related to the development and implementation of the website since the passage of PPACA.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this request and we would ask that you provide the requested information by no later than November 8, 2013.  When producing documents, please deliver production sets to Senator Hatch's Finance Committee staff at 219 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.  20510, and to Senator Grassley's Judiciary Committee staff at 152 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510.  Whenever possible, both Committees prefer to receive documents in electronic format.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

HATCH
GRASSLEY