The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 includes many provisions designed to address high prescription drug prices and related out-of-pocket costs. One of the most notable changes allows Medicare to negotiate the prices of certain high-cost prescription drugs, which is expected to save Medicare…
This week the Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments in Braidwood v. Kennedy, a case challenging the requirement for private health insurers to cover certain recommended preventive health services with no cost-sharing. AARP previously examined the implications of the case, finding that more than…
Access to an employer-based, payroll-deduction retirement savings plan plays a key role in allowing people to save for the future. Yet nearly half of American workers, or about 56 million, do not have access to such a plan. To address this challenge, in recent years a growing number of states have…
My almost 96-year-old mother is one of about half of older adults with disabilities serious enough to need long-term services and supports. She is nearly blind, has dementia and osteoporosis, and suffers from arthritis. Recently she’s begun to experience back pain too. She lived in her home of over…
The recently enacted 21st Century Cures Act will mean welcome changes to electronic health records (EHRs) as we know them. In short, the EHR piece of the Cures Act is good news for consumers. Here’s why.
In 1961, AARP’s founder, Ethel Andrus, presented President Dwight Eisenhower with a version of Freedom House. The scale model of a uniquely designed home contained
The aging-in-community of a rapidly aging population demands a fundamental shift in planning in order to minimize the economic, social and health challenges that will otherwise overwhelm communities. Nearly 90 percent of Americans 65 and older tell us that they want to age in their homes or…
Did you know? Diabetes rates are significantly higher among Americans age 65 and older than in any other age group. Nearly a quarter (23 percent) of Americans 65 and older reported having diagnosed diabetes in 2015, according to a recent AARP Public Policy Institute analysis. Diabetes, a chronic…
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) established a 3-to-1 limit on age rating of health insurance premiums, meaning that older adults who purchase coverage on their own cannot be charged more than three times the amount a younger person is charged for the same health plan. This important provision…
Since 2006, Medicare beneficiaries have had access to outpatient prescription drug coverage through Medicare Part D. The standard benefit under Part D includes an annual deductible, an initial coverage period when enrollees pay 25 percent of their drug costs, and catastrophic coverage that limits…
Most Americans get their health insurance through their employer or through government-sponsored programs like Medicare or Medicaid. People who do not have access to those forms of coverage — for instance, because they are between jobs or are self-employed — typically buy health insurance directly…