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Thinking Policy

Most of the 1.2 million people living with HIV in the United States are now over the age of 50, and more than 175,000 are over the age of 65. For many people who were diagnosed prior to the introduction of revolutionary highly active antiretroviral therapy, life expectancy was measured in months,…
Surveys illuminate people’s preferences for aging in place and reforms that promote more supply
A recent report by the influential Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) — the independent agency that advises Congress on Medicare policy — finds that Medicare pays 20 percent more per enrollee in a private Medicare Advantage (MA) plan than it would if that same individual was instead…
Diabetes among older adults is associated with significant health and cost burdens. Nearly a quarter of individuals age 65 and older have been diagnosed with diabetes, and one of every three Medicare dollars is spent on beneficiaries living with the condition. An estimated one-half of the Medicare…
In 2009, a truck struck and killed Beverly Shelton’s grandson, Zachary, who was walking inside a marked crosswalk and accompanied by an adult. The driver had rolled through the stop sign rather than make a complete stop.
Alvin and Sharon lived in Chicago and were frugal people who worked hard all their lives. This fiscal dedication allowed them to live on their two monthly Social Security checks, his modest pension and some modest investments.
My parents taught me to drive safely. Back then that meant wearing my seat belt, paying attention to the road and obeying the posted speed limits. Today things are different. Staying safe while driving also includes protecting your car against hackers.
Recently I’ve heard several stories of families having to deplete their entire life savings just to qualify for Medicaid. Hitting much closer to home are my experiences of watching my mother take on the role of caregiver for my grandfather.
For employers big and small, the need to support workers who also provide unpaid care for a family member is a growing reality. Most family caregivers today — or an estimated 23.9 million workers — work at a paying job on top of their caregiving responsibilities.
Turing Pharmaceuticals recently faced intense public criticism after the company bought a 62-year-old drug and increased its price by 5,000 percent. Turing’s unusually outspoken chief executive officer, Martin Shkreli, strongly defended the decision, even going so far as to argue that the new price…
Millions of Americans count on Social Security for most of their income. AARP DataExplorer’s new storybook on Social Security shows, using graphics and animation, just how important Social Security is to all Americans.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched the Financial Alignment Initiative (the Initiative) to improve the quality of care received by low-income adults who are eligible for Medicare and Medicaid — known as dual eligibles. Many of these individuals have unmet behavioral health…
Individuals need better information to know how much to save for retirement. A good place to start is to provide them with a projection of their total retirement income that includes the monthly income they can reasonably expect from their retirement savings and their Social Security benefits. This…