As property values in Montana have risen in recent years, many homeowners have found themselves in the difficult position of being house rich but cash poor.
Montana voters strongly favor keeping Medicaid expansion in the state, as well as the creation of a new tax credit for family caregiver expenses, a recent AARP poll shows.
In a state whose legislature convenes for only 90 days every other year, AARP Montana plans to hit the ground running when the next session begins the first week of January. The AARP state office will be pressing for legislation that affects more than 400,000 Montanans age 50-plus—including bills to support family caregivers, strengthen consumer protections and safeguard services that help Montanans continue to live at home as they age.
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 institutions.
The Montana State legislature convenes for only 90 days every two years. With the 2013 session on the horizon, AARP Montana is encouraging member participation in the legislative process by signing up as an e-activist.
With the new legislative session underway, AARP Montana is advocating for tax relief measures, support for family caregivers, better home care services, increased financial security and ways to combat elder abuse.