AARP in the STATES 2018

Click on the  2018 State Advocacy Agenda or read below:

AARP BELIEVES NO ONE’S POSSIBILITIES SHOULD BE LIMITED BY THEIR AGE and seeks to find new solutions that will enable more people to live and age as they choose. One way AARP pursues this mission is through advocacy at the state and local levels led by teams of staff and volunteers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This agenda provides an overview of the key issues that AARP will be advancing in states across the country in 2018. Every AARP state office will advocate on one or more of these issues along with other priorities that are of particular importance to older adults in their communities.

SUPPORTING FAMILY CAREGIVERS

Approximately 40 million family caregivers in the United States provide an estimated 37 billion hours of unpaid care to loved ones who need help to live independently. The estimated annual economic value of this care is approximately $470 billion. In the last two years, AARP state offices have worked with state legislators and governors to enact more than 150 new laws that support family caregivers. In 2018, AARP will continue working to support family caregivers and their loved ones by advancing laws and policies that will:

• Provide information about the medical or nursing tasks that family caregivers will be asked to perform when their loved ones are discharged from the hospital. The Caregiver Advise, Record and Enable (CARE) Act, which promotes family caregiver involvement, notification and instruction, has been enacted in 36 states as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands;
• Reduce the financial burden of caregiving through a tax credit for family caregivers;
• Expand options for care by ensuring that Advanced Practice Registered Nurses can use the full extent of their education and training, and by allowing nurses to delegate certain medical tasks to home care workers;
• Provide family caregivers with a needed break through greater access to respite care services;
• Help family caregivers and their loved ones manage personal or property decisions through the enactment of comprehensive adult guardianship and power of attorney improvements in law and in the courts;
• Encourage employers to offer workplace flexibility options, such as extending paid leave and allowing employees to use sick leave for caregiving responsibilities;
• Create or modify a home care provider registry to enable public access to home care provider information and availability; and,
• Remove barriers to telehealth services such as outdated regulations and reimbursement policies, in order to expand access to care, improve the quality and reduce the cost of care, and create greater convenience for patients and their family caregivers.

ACCELERATING THE PACE OF CHANGE IN PROVIDING QUALITY HOME AND COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICES

An overwhelming majority of Americans want to stay in their homes and communities as they age. The 2017 Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) State Scorecard—a compilation of state data and analysis—demonstrates slow and uneven progress toward improving home and community based support for rapidly increasing populations of older adults and Americans living with disabilities, with tremendous variation among states. At the current rate of change, it will take more than three decades to see substantial improvement nationally. We are asking state policymakers to accelerate the pace of change by:

• Lowering costs and improving access so that consumers can easily find and afford services;
• Providing greater choice of settings, providers and services;
• Enhancing the quality of life and quality of care; and,
• Increasing effective transitions in order to avoid unnecessary hospitalizations and institutionalizations.

ACCESSING AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE

AARP supports measures to help consumers access affordable and quality health care coverage.
To date, 33 states and the District of Columbia have reduced their uninsured populations by expanding Medicaid eligibility to include individuals with incomes of $15,000 per year. AARP urges lawmakers in the remaining states to extend much-needed health coverage to their citizens.

One driver of increased health care costs is the rising cost of prescription drugs. AARP studies have found that the retail prices of prescription drugs commonly used by older adults increased by an average of 6.4% in 2015, outpacing the annual inflation rate of 0.1%. This is the 12th straight year that retail prescription drug prices have increased. AARP encourages state lawmakers to enact measures to increase transparency about drug pricing decisions and address rising out-of-pocket costs for consumers.

AARP also supports measures to combat waste, fraud and abuse in health programs as well as reduce racial and ethnic health disparities.

IMPROVING ACCESS TO RETIREMENT PLANS AT WORK

Half of all U.S. families have zero saved for retirement. Lacking adequate savings, millions of Americans will likely rely on taxpayer-funded safety net programs when they are no longer in the workforce. We know that workers are 20 times more likely to save for retirement if they can do so through automatic and regular payroll deductions. Yet, today, 55 million Americans do not have access to this kind of savings plan at work. Small businesses, in particular, face daunting regulatory and operational hurdles when attempting to give their employees retirement savings options.

AARP is advocating for increased access to workplace savings options and the removal of regulatory and operational barriers for small businesses that want to offer retirement savings plans to their employees. Several years ago, AARP launched “Work and Save”—a bipartisan effort that makes it easier for small business employees to save for their future.

Over the past two years, nine states and one municipality have enacted laws that increase access to workplace savings plans. And, in 2017, more than half the states considered a variety of bills that envision public-private partnerships to create low-cost workplace savings options. In 2018, AARP will work in states across the nation to advance these commonsense solutions to help Americans save.

PROTECTING PENSIONS, RETIREMENT INCOME AND COMBATTING FINANCIAL EXPLOITATION

AARP supports policies that protect earned pension benefits, promote reasonable taxation and guard against financial exploitation.

State and local employees contribute to their own retirement in every paycheck. Yet for years, some states have failed to keep their promise to make full pension payments. AARP believes that state governments should make their required annual payments, and we support efforts to shore up underfunded pension systems through fiscally responsible changes that protect both the long-term viability of existing defined benefit plans and the financial security of retirees. AARP is especially concerned about workers who have contributed to a pension and who are already retired or close to retirement. These individuals have little opportunity or time to increase their savings and should not be penalized by benefit cuts.

AARP also supports changes to the way retirement income is taxed so older Americans on fixed incomes can keep more of their hard-earned money to cover rising living costs.

Because elder abuse and financial exploitation continue to rise, AARP is calling for new legislative and regulatory protections including: strengthening Adult Protective Services (APS); enhancing civil and criminal penalties; and creating multidisciplinary workgroups of APS, consumers, policymakers, law enforcement, financial institutions, and state courts to protect our most vulnerable citizens.

STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES FOR ALL AGES

Eighty-seven percent of adults ages 65 and older want to stay in their current homes and communities as they age.  As a result, states and communities need to respond to the wants and needs of an older constituency.  Many of the things that make communities welcoming and supportive for older residents are things that benefit residents of all ages: safe streets and neighborhoods; affordable and accessible housing and healthcare; reliable transportation options; opportunities to learn, work, and socialize; and a sense of community and responsive government.
AARP advocates at the state and local levels for improvements that make communities places where people of all ages can thrive – what we call “livable communities” such as:

• Housing that incorporates accessible features and a mix of affordable housing options;
• Well-designed “safe streets” and convenient access to services, local business and green spaces;
• Effective transportation planning, coordination and funding to address the needs of all residents, especially those living in rural communities;
• Affordable energy pricing by utilities that does not unfairly burden household consumers; and,
• Access to affordable, reliable, high quality telecommunication services, including broadband, that allow consumers to stay connected and productive.