AARP Public Policy Institute

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.

Much innovation in the LTSS system has originated at local levels and later reached the national level after testing and support from the government, foundations and others. A new paper reviews five innovative LTSS programs to explore how they were successfully scaled up and implemented in more places. This report builds on the widely accepted model for understanding the expansion of an innovation developed by sociologist E.M. Rogers, who coined the phrase “early adopter.” Its five recommendations adapt Rogers’s framework to selecting and promoting LTSS innovations.

This series of three AARP Public Policy Institute and Mathematica Spotlight reports analyze SNAP participation among older adults and the policies that affect it.

With older populations growing faster in rural areas than urban areas, new research focuses on health care access, health-related behaviors, and health conditions among rural versus urban older adults, and on racial and ethnic disparities within each group. Adults ages 50 and older living in rural areas are more likely to forgo medical care due to cost than those living in urban areas. Additionally, Black and Hispanic older adults living in rural areas are much more likely than their White counterparts to skip medical care due to cost.

This report analyzes the health care access, health-related behaviors, and health conditions among older adults living in rural areas. The report reveals health disparities among rural older adults who are members of racial and ethnic minorities. The report also reveals disparities in prevalence of serious health conditions and health care access between urban and rural older adults.

This report explores the role played by managed care organizations delivering Medicaid long term services and support programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report looks at the roles and responsibilities of governments, nursing homes, and MLTSS plans and argues their role in the pandemic response as well as the role of federal funding and data use, should all be examined further to inform future policy.

The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program provides financial support to low income individuals, including children, adults with severe disabilities, and adults ages 65 and older. This brief describes the SSI program and the demographic and economic characteristics of SSI beneficiaries. Additionally, it discusses state programs that supplement federal SSI, reasons some eligible people do not participate in SSI, and some current changes to the program.

The AARP Public Policy Institute recently launched a three-year initiative which aims to transform long term care in the United States. LTSS Choices will be a series of reports, blogs, videos, podcasts, and virtual convenings that seek to catalyze reform and spark ideas to modernize LTSS, long term services and supports. The goal is a long-term care system that provides a wide range of choices to meet the dynamic needs and preferences of consumers and their families.