Biologics in Perspective: The Case for Generic Biologic Drugs
This AARP Public Policy Institute Fact Sheet by Leigh Purvis discusses the growing need for generic biologic drugs.

Physician Payment: Current System and Opportunities for Reform
This AARP Public Policy Institute research report by Lynn Nonnemaker, Sarah Thomas, and Joyce Dubow examines ways to improve the physician payment system, with a focus on Medicare. Key problems with the current system are explored, along with ideas for reform, including several international models of payment.

Planning Complete Streets for an Aging America
Despite the age tsunami, over two-thirds of transportation planners and engineers have yet to begin considering the needs of older people in their multimodal street planning. This Public Policy Institute research summarizes how Complete Streets can be applied toward road planning and design to increase the safety and availability of older adults’ travel options.

Creating a Medicare Transitional Care Benefit: How it Can Save Billions and Improve Care
This AARP Public Policy Institute Fact Sheet explains how a Medicare transitional care benefit can save billions of dollars in hospital readmissions and improve health outcomes and satisfaction for millions of beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions.

Older Workers on the Move: Recareering in Later Life
This AARP Public Policy Institute Research Paper by Richard W. Johnson, Janette Kawachi, and Eric K. Lewis of The Urban Institute examines the characteristics of workers who change careers in later life. Career change may become more common as more individuals continue to work past retirement age.

Expanding Health Coverage for 50- to 64-Year-Olds: Why It's a Health Reform Priority
Health care costs and coverage issues for adults ages 50-64 and policy implications for health care reform are explored in this Fact Sheet by AARP’s Public Policy Institute.

An Illustrative Analysis of Medicare Options Compare: What’s There and What’s Not?
This AARP Public Policy Institute Insight on the Issues by Marsha Gold of Mathematica Policy Research assesses Medicare Options Compare, a web site maintained by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to help beneficiaries choose among available Medicare Advantage plans.

Rx Watchdog Report: Trends in Manufacturer Prices of Prescription Drugs Used by Medicare Beneficiaries—2008 Year-End Update
Changes in prices charged by manufacturers to wholesalers and other direct purchasers for the brand name drugs most widely used by Medicare beneficiaries are examined in this series of AARP Public Policy Institute reports.

Employment Support for the Transition to Retirement: Can a New Program Help Older Workers Continue to Work and Protect Those Who Cannot?
This AARP Public Policy Institute report by David Stapleton of Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., proposes a program to encourage later retirement by helping older workers increase their earnings and postpone reliance on their retirement benefits until the benefits are larger.

Social Security Disability Insurance: A Primer
This AARP Public Policy Institute Insight on the Issues by Ellen O’Brien provides an overview of the Social Security Disability Insurance program, including how the program works, who it serves, how it is administered, and how it is financed.

19 Million Working-Age Americans Have a Disability that Limits or Prevents Work. Most Are Poor or Low-Income.
This AARP Public Policy Institute Fact Sheet by Ellen O’Brien and Carlos Figueiredo explains why people with disabilities are often at a disadvantage in the labor market and calls on insurance and assistance programs to provide more timely and adequate support.

Taking the Long View: Investing in Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Is Cost-Effective
This AARP Public Policy Institute Insight on the Issues highlights research evidence that indicates that, over time, states that invest in home and community-based services (HCBS) experience slower Medicaid expenditure growth than states with low HCBS spending.

A First Look at How Medicare Advantage Benefits and Premiums in Individual Enrollment Plans are Changing from 2008 to 2009
The challenges of designing a sustainable health coverage program to serve people with differing health needs are outlined in this AARP Public Policy Institute Insight on the Issues, written by Mercer’s George Wagoner. Choices can attract broad enrollment but can produce unanticipated costs for individuals and program sponsors.

Health Care Reform: What’s at Stake for 50- to 64-Year-Olds?
Health care costs and coverage issues for adults ages 50-64 and policy implications for health care reform are explored in this Insight on the Issues by Gerry Smolka, Leigh Purvis, and Carlos Figueiredo of AARP’s Public Policy Institute.

Medicare Advantage Benefit Design: What Does It Provide, What Doesn’t It Provide, and Should Standards Apply?
This AARP Public Policy Institute research report by Marsha Gold and Maria Cupples Hudson analyzes recent changes in Medicare Advantage (MA) benefit design. It finds that MA plans have utilized the flexibility afforded them under the law to modify the structure of traditional Medicare benefits in important ways.

Social Security Financing: Automatic Adjustments to Restore Solvency
Many countries are facing social security solvency problems as longevity increases and birthrates fall. A growing number are adopting automatic mechanisms to improve solvency, rather than changing taxes or benefits in an ad hoc manner. In this paper, John Turner discusses the experience of 12 countries that have adopted auto-stabilization mechanisms.

Across the States 2009: Profiles of Long-Term Care and Independent Living
This eighth edition of AARP Public Policy Institute's state long-term care reference report presents comparable state- and national-level data for more than 140 indicators on long-term services and supports from a wide variety of sources.