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The AARP Public Policy Institute's nonpartisan policy analysis focuses on issues of critical importance to older Americans and draws on the work of experts across the ideological spectrum.

Supplemental Security Income: Continuity and Change since 1974

This brief describes how the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program works, and the demographic and economic characteristics of beneficiaries of SSI (generally prior to the pandemic as enrollment has declined during the pandemic, likely due to field office closings). It includes a discussion of state programs that supplement federal SSI, explores reasons some eligible people do not participate in SSI, and previews some changes to the program currently under discussion. 

Monthly Employment Data Digest

The latest monthly digest of employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) examines the findings from the Employment Situation Report. It takes a closer look at employment data for people ages 55 and over, including labor force participation, employment rates, and duration of unemployment.

From Short-Term Financial Well-Being to Long-Term Financial Security

This paper examines how financial well-being (FWB) evolves over time, what factors and behaviors are most predictive of large increases or decreases in FWB, and whether these relationships may have changed following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Changing Picture of Who Claims Social Security Early

As individuals approach their 60s, they face the important decision about when to start claiming Social Security retirement benefits. This report examines the characteristics of those who decide to start collecting at the early eligibility age of 62 compared with those who wait until later. 

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Estimating Impacts of Pandemic-Related Job Loss on Health Insurance Coverage among Adults Ages 50 to 64 During the First Year of COVID-19

New analysis examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health insurance coverage for older adults ages 50 to 64. 

Novel Anticoagulants Achieve Rapid Market Penetration despite Higher Costs

This paper focuses on the rapid market penetration of a novel therapeutic option for stroke prevention among patients with atrial fibrillation. The observed widespread shift in prescribing practices led to substantial increases in spending, as the new products were approximately 20 times more expensive than comparable existing products. 

Concurrent Anticholinergic and Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitor Drug Use Among Older Adults with Dementia: Commonly Done; Never Advised

This study was designed to determine if anticholinergic use among older adults with dementia taking AChEI puts them at higher risk for adverse outcomes and concludes that it does. Older adults with dementia who had concomitant anticholinergic and AChEI use were 18 percent more likely to experience a fall, 16 percent more likely to have a fracture, and 25 percent more likely to have a traumatic brain injury (TBI) than those taking AChEI alone. 

Rx Price Watch Report: Trends in Retail Prices of Brand Name Prescription Drugs Widely Used by Older Americans, 2006 to 2020

The latest Rx Price Watch report by Leigh Purvis and Dr. Stephen W. Schondelmeyer finds that retail price increases for widely used brand name prescription drugs consistently exceeded the rate of general inflation between 2006 and 2020. 

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Long-Term Services & Supports State Scorecard

A State Scorecard on Long-Term Services and Supports for Older Adults, People with Physical Disabilities, and Family Caregivers

LTSS Choices: International Review of Innovations to Protect Nursing Home Residents from Infectious Diseases such as COVID-19

This report reviews the international community’s experience with the COVID-19 pandemic in nursing homes, focusing on the experiences of some countries that have had relatively few deaths in their residential care facilities: how they prepare for pandemics in general, how they responded to the pandemic and how their long-term care infrastructure improved outcomes. It also covers international experts’ recommendations for improving how nursing homes and assisted living facilities respond to infectious disease.

LTSS Choices: Presumptive Eligibility for Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Can Expand Consumer Choice

This report explores how presumptive eligibility can empower consumers to access publicly funded home- and community-based services (HCBS) without lengthy determination delays.

LTSS Choices: Paying Family Caregivers to Provide Care during the Pandemic-and Beyond

Medicaid is the primary funder of long-term services and supports (LTSS) in the United States. It provides those services and supports either through institutional care (i.e., nursing home care) or home- and community-based services (HCBS). This report explains that one cost-effective HCBS option with multiple advantages is to pay family members to provide care for older people and adults with physical disabilities.

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Caring Locally for Caregivers: How State and Local Laws Protect Family Caregivers from Discrimination at Work

Workplace discrimination against employees who care for adult family members, called Family Responsibilities Discrimination (FRD) or caregiver discrimination, is an escalating problem that can disadvantage employees and put employers at legal risk. This report details the ways in which state and local laws fill in the gaps left by federal law by prohibiting employment discrimination that occurs because of family caregiving.

Managing a Paid Job and Family Caregiving is a Growing Reality

The 2020 Caregiving in the U.S. report revealed an increase of more than 5 million employed family caregivers since 2015. This report takes a deeper look into the Caregiving in the US data at the nearly 30 million Americans who are caring for an ill friend or family member while also working at a paying job. It highlights the impacts and challenges of managing both responsibilities, and it identifies what’s changed since 2015.

Caregiving in the United States 2020

First conducted in 1997 by the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, Caregiving in the U.S. 2020 update presents a portrait of unpaid family caregivers. Family caregivers now encompass more than one in five Americans. The study also reveals that family caregivers are in worse health compared to five years ago. 

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