Advocacy

With the state legislative session getting underway, AARP is advocating for Medicaid expansion, allowing an estimated 125,000 Mississippians to gain health coverage. The expansion would be largely funded by the federal government; Mississippi is one of 10 states that has not already done so, under provisions of the Affordable Care Act.

Every day, thousands of Mississippians wake up hoping they’re not sick because they don't have health coverage. Elected officials from around the state can do something to fix this. Closing the health coverage gap will help create healthier families, workers and communities. The time to act is now. Tell elected officials to close the health coverage gap and be a champion for hard-working Mississippians. You can contact state legislators at this link: action.AARP.org/MSHealth

For the first time since AARP began publishing the Scorecard in 2011, more than half of Medicaid long-term care dollars nationwide for older adults and people with physical disabilities went to home- and community-based services instead of nursing homes and other institution.

Latest AARP research attaches $5.6 billion to the estimated 440 million hours of unpaid care that family caregivers provided in 2021.

A new program is recruiting volunteers 50 and older to help with community outreach.

During this water crisis in Jackson, AARP Mississippi wants to make sure you know how to protect yourself and your loved ones. If you have water, please remember: Do not drink tap water and don’t let your pets drink it. Also, please remember to use boiled water or bottled water to brush your teeth, cook, and wash dishes.

Voters Surveyed Want Tax Dollars Brought Back to the State to Expand Medicaid Health Care

Older residents remain worried about health care access and costs, according to a survey by AARP Mississippi.

Court proceedings can drag on, which is a problem for older people and the terminally ill who want to get their affairs in order before it’s too late.

(Jackson, MS) – AARP Mississippi has sent a letter to Gov. Tate Reeves urging him to develop a comprehensive roll-out plan that communicates clear information to the public and prioritizes older Americans in the distribution of COVID-19 “booster” shots, especially those who are homebound or living in congregate settings. The third shots are now being recommended for the immune-compromised and anyone who is 8 months away from their second shot of either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines.