Advocacy

On May 22, 2024, AARP Utah held an in-person Social Security forum at the Embassy Suites Hotel in South Jordan. We were joined by about 75 attendees as our experts discussed Social Security solvency.

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.

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.

Utah is one of only 11 states that tax Social Security benefits. But in an era of high inflation, people who are dependent on their Social Security income are looking for a break.

When the State Legislature convenes on Jan. 18, AARP Utah will be back to advocate for residents 50-plus, working to lower prescription drug costs, strengthen support for family caregivers and ensure that Utahns have access to retirement savings plans.

Reining in the high cost of prescription drugs will be a top priority for AARP Utah and its allies when state lawmakers reconvene on Monday, Jan. 27.

Proposition 3 was voted into law by Utahns last November, and will expand Medicaid coverage to 150,000 of our friends and neighbors, many of whom had no access to affordable healthcare coverage. But now this victory is in imminent danger of being repealed and replaced by the Utah legislature, which convenes next week.

State retirees paid into Social Security throughout their working lives and now count on it to make ends meet. What they don’t appreciate is having to pay state taxes on that vital retirement money. But Utah is one of 13 states that tax Social Security income.

AARP Backs Bipartisan Credit for Caring Act

Most people have to rely on money saved over years of work to fund their retirement, and often this money is accumulated through a 401(k) plan at work or some other type of investment. Long gone are the days when a guaranteed pension gave workers financial security in retirement; today, only one in five workers has access to such a plan. This means workers have to take on the risk of investing, which is a scary proposition. Investment losses can be devastating late in life, as there aren’t decades of work ahead to replace it.