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.

Financial Access Challenges for Older Adults

Nearly 15 million households 50 and older face gaps in financial access that increase both their costs and risk. This fact sheet examines these gaps, including findings on bank account ownership, account access methods, and credit activity. 

Facilitating Workplace Emergency Savings Programs Through Payroll Cards

There are many ways to structure workplace savings programs, but this report looks at a model that includes four key elements to ensure widespread employer adoption and employee participation: 1) automatic enrollment, 2) consumer-friendly features, 3) regulatory feasibility and 4) affordability for employers.

June 2020 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.  

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Millions of Adults Ages 50 and Older Rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps 8.7 million households with adults ages 50 and older put food on the table and is especially critical during the current COVID-19 pandemic. This fact sheet describes selected characteristics of older SNAP households and the benefits they receive.

Medicare Beneficiaries' Out-of-Pocket Spending for Health Care

This report provides detailed information on how much people with traditional Medicare pay out-of-pocket for health care. 

Medicare Financial Outlook: What Do Trust Fund Solvency Projections Mean?

In their 2020 annual report, the Medicare Trustees estimate that in 2026 Medicare’s Hospital Insurance (or Part A) trust fund will become “insolvent”—a term that can be misleading when taken out of context. This report explains what exactly Medicare Trust Fund solvency means, puts the current projections for the trust fund’s financial outlook into perspective, and shows why Medicare is not “going broke” and does not need a drastic change.  

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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

Recognition of Family Caregivers in Managed Long-Term Services and Supports

Based on a study of managed long-term services and supports (MLTSS) programs, this report examines provisions in MLTSS contracts that are important for the support of family caregivers. The study comprised the review of 31 MLTSS programs for older adults and adults with physical disabilities in 23 states in 2019.

Fast-tracking Approval for Publicly Funded LTSS: Presumptive Eligibility

Part of the Long-Term Services & Supports State Scorecard Promising Practices, this paper examines Presumptive Eligibility programs in five states -- Michigan, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington – comparing key features and making recommendations for effective programs that increase access to Long-Term Services and Supports. 

Long-Term Services and Supports

In 2018, about 14 million adults of all ages needed long-term services and supports (LTSS). This fact sheet takes a closer look at what LTSS encompass, who needs these services, who provides care and where it’s provided, what paid LTSS cost, and who pays for LTSS.

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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. 

Valuing the Invaluable 2019 Update: Charting a Path Forward

Part of a series of papers on the economic value of family caregiving, this report updates national and individual state estimates of the economic value of family caregiving using the most current data available. In 2017, about 41 million family caregivers in the United States provided an estimated 34 billion hours of care to an adult with limitations in daily activities. The estimated economic value of their unpaid contributions was approximately $470 billion. 

Home Alone Revisied: Family Caregivers Providing Complex Chronic Care

The role of many family caregivers has dramatically expanded to include performing medical/nursing tasks once provided only in hospitals, such as managing  medications, wound care, and giving injections. This report exdamined what family caregivers who perform medical/nursing tasks experience and takes a closer look at specific difficult tasks,such as managing incontinence, pain, and special diets. It also offered greater attention toresources and outcomes as well as family caregiver experiences by gender, generation, and culture. 

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