AARP Public Policy Institute

AARP’s Public Policy Institute recently released a comprehensive report detailing AARP’s vision for a national plan on aging. The report includes four recommended goals with accompanying policy opportunities that can help guide ongoing national efforts to establish and implement a plan. The paper also highlights the value of best practices and lessons learned from local, state, and global strategic plans on aging.

The AARP Public Policy Institute created the AARP Nursing Home COVID-19 Dashboard to provide data about the virus’ spread among nursing homes and the impact it has on nursing home residents and staff. The purpose of this dashboard is to address at-risk areas at the national and state levels quickly.

On Thursday, September 28, the AARP Public Policy Institute released the 2023 edition of its LTSS State Scorecard, which uses data from a wide range of sources to describe how state long-term services and supports (LTSS) systems are performing. Released every three years since 2011, the Scorecard measures LTSS systems across five different dimensions: affordability and access; choice of setting and provider; safety and quality; support for family caregivers; and community integration. The upcoming release of this year's LTSS Scorecard will also explore new focus areas, including equity, workforce, and the impact of COVID-19. Furthermore, the 2023 Scorecard will introduce "Innovation Points," a novel feature offering an innovative approach..

AARP recently released a fact sheet describing the prevalence of food insecurity among adults aged 50 and older in 2021. The fact sheet reveals that over 9 million Americans in this age group (approximately eight percent) experienced limited or uncertain access to nutritious food. Moreover, this fact sheet highlights the impact of food insecurity on the health of older adults, showing a higher prevalence of health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, asthma, and depression among food-insecure individuals. The report also explores important variations in food insecurity based on factors such as age, race, ethnicity, income, and educational attainment.

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) has collaborated with the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago to curate a comprehensive data analysis report regarding Elder Financial Exploitation (EFE) losses experienced by adults over the age of 60. They found that victims of EFE in the United States lose $28.3 billion a year, and about 72% of the losses arise from fraud by people the victims know personally....

AARP has released a fact sheet that explores the topic of medication management for older adults, highlighting the challenges they face and the available programs and interventions. This resource emphasizes the importance of effective medication management in preventing adverse events and improving health outcomes for older adults. The fact sheet explores formal medication management programs, such as Medication Therapy Management (MTM) in Medicare and Medicaid, while emphasizing the essential skills required for older adults to effectively manage their medication.

The AARP Public Policy Institute (PPI) contracted with NORC at the University of Chicago to examine the implications of the Medicaid continuous enrollment unwinding process for older Americans. NORC analyzed Medicaid enrollment trends for the age 50-64 population prior to and during the COVID-19 public health emergency and used this data to model the impact of resuming Medicaid eligibility reassessments, or redeterminations, in this population. This paper discusses these findings as well as their context within the larger health care system. The paper also provides an overview of federal and state actions taken in advance of the ending of Medicaid continuous enrollment and discuss policy options that could help ease the transition.

The latest report from the AARP Public Policy Institute, "Valuing the Invaluable," examines current patterns in family caregiving, delves into the intricacies of family caregiving, and suggests measures that should be taken to tackle the financial, social, and emotional obstacles that arise when providing care for loved ones, including parents and spouses. The report offers a comprehensive analysis of recent advancements and prospective state and federal policies aimed at assisting family caregivers who play a crucial role in long term services and supports.

AARP’s Public Policy Institute released a report titled “Underused Medicare Savings Programs Can Help Many More Older Adults Afford Health Care”. Medicare Savings Programs or MSPs provide financial assistance with certain Medicare costs for eligible low-income Medicare beneficiaries, and are administered by state Medicaid agencies. According to the report, about 16 percent of all Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in MSPs; however, the number of individuals eligible for these programs is estimated to be much higher. The paper discusses the findings from the organization’s analysis and research, and proposes areas states can consider to increase enrollment and expand eligibility.

Each edition of the AARP Public Policy Institute's Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) State Scorecard has measured state performance against an objective, data-driven set of metrics that illustrate how states were doing with their LTSS systems at a given time. This paper discusses the approach to the 2023 edition of the Scorecard, reflects on what has changed since the Scorecard was first published, and considers the possibilities of future editions.