AARP Massachusetts Advocacy Resource Page

Welcome to the AARP Massachusetts Advocacy Resource Page, where you can learn about our legislative priorities and opt-in to receive SMS Advocacy Updates.

AARP Massachusetts is always looking for members to get involved as volunteer advocates. Advocates attend public hearings, testify on bills before the legislature, write letters to state lawmakers and share information about the issues that matter on social media.

Legislative Priorities:

AARP Massachusetts is advocating on important issues including supporting family caregivers, making improvements to nursing homes, and increasing the availability of retirement savings.

Comprehensive Long-Term Care Reform
More than 5,000 residents of Massachusetts nursing homes have died of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic- nearly a quarter of all the state’s deaths from the disease. And today, even as it eases into the background, nursing homes in the Commonwealth and nationally are grappling with a different kind of long COVID: the ongoing effects of the disease on their daily operations. That’s why improving the care delivered in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities will be among the top priorities for AARP Massachusetts on Beacon Hill this year. The organization will push for a broad set of changes, including beefed-up training and career development programs. Our goal is to make sure that nursing home care is safe, affordable, and accessible.

AARP urges the Commonwealth to act now to protect seniors in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities by continuing and improving commonsense policies, such as:

• Increasing minimum nurse staffing ratios;
  
• Enhance the state's preparedness and response to infectious disease outbreaks and require facilities to have plans in advance to address;
  
• Require facilities to develop and implement a written Department of Public Health-approved isolation prevention plan (IPP) and have appropriate technology, staff, and other capabilities in place to prevent residents from becoming isolated during public emergencies;
  
• Create a pathway to single occupancy rooms in all facilities;
  
• Reestablish the Extended Care Career Ladder staff training grant program.
  
• Finally, we urge the Commonwealth to increase funding and programs for residents to age with dignity and live in their home and community

Supporting Caregivers
AARP is fighting for the 780,000 family caregivers in Massachusetts who help seniors live independently in their homes instead of being forced into nursing homes. Family caregivers need commonsense solutions that will save them time and money and provide them with more support. AARP Massachusetts backs bills that aim to strengthen the financial security of older residents and caregivers. Among them:

• Caregiver Tax Credit:
  AARP believes as a state we should support family caregivers as they take on the costs and responsibilities associated with caregiving. Family caregivers spend about $7,000 each year on out-of-pocket costs, according to AARP. As such, we're backing a bill to provide a state tax credit of up to $1,500 to eligible caregivers to help cover expenses such as transportation and home health care aides. A family caregiver tax credit is one way to ensure that caregivers can keep their loved ones living in their homes and communities.

Retirement Plans:
AARP is advocating for workers to have an easy way to save for retirement on the job through public-private retirement savings accounts. Nearly half of workers don’t have access to a retirement savings account at work, leaving them unprepared for the future. AARP backs so called work and save bills such as:

• CORE Plan expansion
  AARP Massachusetts supports legislation that would expand the state’s CORE retirement plan, a 401(k) savings vehicle that small non profits can opt to offer their employees. As it stands, this plan only applies to non-profits with less than 20 employees- the bill we are pushing for will also extend it to non-profits with more than 20 employees.

2023 Legislative wins

In 2023, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed the first tax package into law in more than 20 years. It saves seniors money. Among the changes: doubling the senior circuit breaker tax credit, increasing the senior property tax volunteer program maximums, increasing the tax credit for a dependent child, disabled adult, or senior and Increasing the rental deduction cap. You can read more about our 2023 wins here.

How Else is AARP showing up for you?

Social Security
AARP is committed to protecting Social Security for seniors and protecting and saving it for future generations. AARP knows that you work hard and pay into Social Security, so it's only fair for you to expect to get the money you've earned.
Social Security is your money - you earned it through a lifetime of hard work. Social Security is essential for helping to cover living expenses and pay your bills. If politicians don’t take action to protect and save Social Security in the next 10 years, your Social Security could be cut by 20 percent – an average of
$4,000 a year.
For all your Social Security questions and our fight to protect it, check out AARP's Social Security Resource Center:
https://www.aarp.org/retirement/social-security/

Rx Prices
AARP led the fight to lower drug prices, and we won. Millions of seniors will save money on their medications. Thanks to AARP, millions of seniors will soon get relief from out-of-control prescription drug prices. After decades of calling on Congress to make prescription drugs more affordable, AARP won the fight for Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices and help seniors save money on their medications. This is a historic victory, but the fight isn't over. Big drug companies will spend millions trying to overturn the new law so they can keep charging Americans the highest prices in the world. AARP will keep fighting big drug companies’ out-of-control prices, and we won't back down .
For more on our fight to lower drug prices check out
https://www.aarp.org/rx