Justice in Aging
@justiceinaging.org
Since 1972, we've used the power of the law to fight senior poverty nationwide. Explore our resources: https://to.justiceinaging.org/resources
Americans on Medicaid wait an average of 3.5 years to access the in-home and community health care services they need.
Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services for Older Adults: A Primer - Justice in Aging
When asked about where they want to live as they age, almost all older adults say they want to live in their homes and get the services they need in the
justiceinaging.org
"It’s inevitable that people will end up in ERs and on the streets."
‘There is nothing else’: Californians face eviction as insurer cancels assisted living benefit
Thousands of California families are facing abrupt cancellations of coverage for assisted living as insurer Health Net adjusts the benefits it provides.
calmatters.org
The Department of Homeland Security recently expanded its criteria for identifying "public charges"—immigrants who are likely to depend on government assistance. Join our upcoming webinar to learn about the new public charge rule and how it will impact older immigrants.
Public Charge Final Rule: What Advocates Need to Know
The Department of Homeland Security recently expanded its criteria for identifying "public charges"—immigrants who are likely to depend on government assistance. Join our upcoming webinar to learn abo...
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With only 24 nursing facilities and 14 assisted living facilities operated by Tribal Nations, American Indians and Alaska Natives often must leave their homes, families, and traditions to receive the care they need outside Indian Country.
Home- and Community-Based Services for American Indians and Alaska Natives: Recommendations for Increasing Access and Recognizing Resiliency - Justice in Aging
This resource explains how American Indian and Alaska Native older adults can access Medicaid home- and community-based services (HCBS), including eligibility, tribal programs, and available supports.
justiceinaging.org
Justice in Aging's Hagar Dickman spoke with Mother Jones about the Trump administration's unfounded claims of fraud in California's home care programs. "The whole assumption that growth means fraud is absurd.”
California does Medicaid home care well. They're being punished for it.
Republicans are deferring $850 million from the state because of unfounded fraud claims.
motherjones.com
As Medicaid turns 61, it faces a historically devastating slate of cuts that will only force more people into nursing homes, drain families' savings, and deepen the caregiver shortage.
Lawmakers Knew All Along They Were Voting to Cut Medicaid for Older Adults - Justice in Aging
The battle to protect Medicaid for older adults and people with disabilities now moves to state capitals — where care hangs in the balance.
justiceinaging.org
Applying for Medicaid often requires a mountain of paperwork: property deeds, insurance documents, years of bank statements, and more. Gathering it all can take weeks. But applicants might need health care before the paperwork is done.
H.R. 1 Reduces Medicaid Retroactive Eligibility Starting in 2027 - Justice in Aging
Learn how H.R. 1 reduces Medicaid retroactive eligibility starting in 2027, limiting coverage for past medical expenses and increasing risks for older adults.
justiceinaging.org
1 in 5 Americans experiencing homelessness is over age 55. Almost half of these older adults live in cars, parks, or on the streets, where they face accelerated aging and develop health conditions usually seen in people 20 years older.
The Importance of Federal Rental Assistance for Older Adults - Justice in Aging
This issue brief explains how federal rental assistance plays a critical role in the safety net for seniors, helping them avoid homelessness and institutionalization. As HUD programs face the risk of ...
justiceinaging.org
Hagar Dickman of @justiceinaging.org told me that disabled people “are entitled to the life that we expect to have of independence, of autonomy, of self-actualization, and agency" through home and community-based services.
RFK Jr. and Oz attacked California for its Medicaid home care, citing growth as proof of fraud. For @motherjones.com, I reported on how the growth isn't proof of fraud, and growth of participants is proof the program is more accessible than in other states. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
California does Medicaid home care well. They're being punished for it.
Republicans are deferring $850 million from the state because of unfounded fraud claims.
motherjones.com
"The problem with viewing lives like hers as extraordinary, she argues, is that it obscures how much of it depended on choices the government made."
Paralyzed at 7, she fought for the life she wanted. Medicaid cuts threaten to take it away.
For a half-century, U.S. policy has pushed to keep disabled Americans out of institutions. Now Rebecca Anger and others fear that era could end.
nbcnews.com
Many Americans who qualify for exemptions from Medicaid work requirements may still lose their coverage because the paperwork needed to prove exemptions is so complex. Older adults with patchy work histories, chronic conditions, or caregiving responsibilities are particularly at risk.
Mitigating the Harms of Medicaid Work Requirements for Older Adults: Tools for State Advocates - Justice in Aging
States can help people keep their Medicaid coverage by reducing paperwork and allowing them to self-report health conditions and caregiving responsibilities as exemptions from work requirements.
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Work requirements strip healthcare away from the very people Medicaid exists to protect. Here's how states can cut the red tape created by this new federal mandate:
Mitigating the Harms of Medicaid Work Requirements for Older Adults: Tools for State Advocates - Justice in Aging
States can help people keep their Medicaid coverage by reducing paperwork and allowing them to self-report health conditions and caregiving responsibilities as exemptions from work requirements.
justiceinaging.org
Imagine a sudden illness lands you in the hospital. You are not yet enrolled in Medicaid and can't afford the medical bills that are piling up. Retroactive Medicaid was designed for moments like this. But a new federal rule will cut retroactive coverage from 3 to 2 months for most enrollees.
H.R. 1 Reduces Medicaid Retroactive Eligibility Starting in 2027 - Justice in Aging
Learn how H.R. 1 reduces Medicaid retroactive eligibility starting in 2027, limiting coverage for past medical expenses and increasing risks for older adults.
justiceinaging.org
Millions of Americans rely on Social Security to pay for rent, food, and other basic expenses. For 1 in 4 older adults, it provides at least 90% of their income. Join us at our next webinar for a crash course on Social Security retirement, spousal, and survivor benefits. Register 👇
Webinar: Social Security Benefits for Older Adults
Social Security benefits are an important source of economic security for millions of older adults. In this webinar, presenters will share insights about retirement, spousal, survivor benefits, and mo...
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Medicare enrollment is neither simple nor straightforward, so it's best to start as early as you can. For most Americans, enrollment begins three months before their 65th birthday.
When It’s Time to Get Medicare, Where Do You Even Begin?
nytimes.com
Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) provide integrated care for people who are covered by both Medicare and Medicaid. This "dually eligible" population is more racially diverse, has lower incomes, and faces greater health challenges than the general Medicare population.
Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs): What Advocates Need to Know - Justice in Aging
This brief provides advocates with basic information about Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) and how they can improve service coordination for dual-eligible populations.
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Half of Americans on Medicare go without dental care each year—not because they don't need it, but because Medicare doesn’t cover most dental services.
FAQ: Adding a Dental Benefit to Medicare Part B - Justice in Aging
Medicare currently excludes most dental care. Learn how adding a dental benefit to Part B could expand coverage, improve oral health, and reduce costs for seniors.
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Protecting Medicare is elder abuse prevention. Strengthening Social Security is elder abuse prevention. Expanding SNAP is elder abuse prevention. When older adults have reliable access to health care, food, and housing, they're far less likely to be exploited. #WEAAD
Supporting Older Americans’ Basic Needs: Health Care, Income, Housing, and Food - Justice in Aging
After working all their lives, many older adults in our communities cannot afford health and long term care, struggle to keep a roof over their heads and food
justiceinaging.org
Fact: High-income earners pay no Social Security payroll tax on wages above $184,500.
Let’s Not be Defeatist. Congress Can Act to Fix the Social Security Trust Fund. - Justice in Aging
Fortunately, Americans are united about what Congress should do. Strong majorities oppose benefit cuts and support revenue solutions. One of the most popular
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The Social Security retirement trust fund is projected to run dry by 2032. That doesn’t mean Social Security is “going broke.” It means policymakers have a choice: cut the benefits American families have earned, or act to protect them.
Let’s Not be Defeatist. Congress Can Act to Fix the Social Security Trust Fund. - Justice in Aging
Fortunately, Americans are united about what Congress should do. Strong majorities oppose benefit cuts and support revenue solutions. One of the most popular
to.justiceinaging.org
As rents skyrocket, federal rental assistance is at its lowest in nearly 25 years. Only 1 in 3 older adults who need subsidized housing receives it.
The Importance of Federal Rental Assistance for Older Adults - Justice in Aging
This issue brief explains how federal rental assistance plays a critical role in the safety net for seniors, helping them avoid homelessness and institutionalization. As HUD programs face the risk of ...
justiceinaging.org
Most Medicare Advantage plans offer some dental coverage, but benefits vary and can be hard to access. A recent analysis found that when enrollees appealed a Medicare Advantage decision on dental services, only 2% were decided in their favor.
People with Medicare Need Comprehensive Dental Care: Medicare Advantage Isn’t the Answer - Justice in Aging
Medicare does not include comprehensive dental coverage, leaving many older adults and people with disabilities without access to oral health care. This resource explains why Medicare Advantage is not...
to.justiceinaging.org
What does it cost to age with dignity? "It’s time to acknowledge that collective solutions – not shame and blame, piled on top of longstanding inequities – are the key to get us through a tender time in our family’s lives."
Caring for ageing parents is becoming a financial nightmare in the US. Here’s what we can do | Courtney E Martin
Most families have little saved for retirement – and face unfair shame for it. It’s time to cut the bootstrap rhetoric
theguardian.com
Half of Americans on Medicare went without dental care last year not because they didn’t need it, but because Medicare doesn’t cover most dental services.
FAQ: Adding a Dental Benefit to Medicare Part B - Justice in Aging
Medicare currently excludes most dental care. Learn how adding a dental benefit to Part B could expand coverage, improve oral health, and reduce costs for seniors.
to.justiceinaging.org
Millions of Americans are paid through government programs to care for disabled family members. Now that lifeline is under attack on multiple fronts:
Families caring for disabled relatives face unthinkable choices as Medicaid cuts loom
President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” state budget turmoil and new attacks on paid family caregiving have people fearing financial ruin as they fight to keep loved ones out of institutions.
nbcnews.com
Americans receiving SSI often qualify for other benefits like SNAP but don't get connected to them. Policymakers can improve how these benefits work together by adopting common-sense reforms such as using existing records to automatically enroll eligible people in multiple programs at once.
Policy Reforms to Better Connect Older Adults and Individuals with Disabilities to SSI and Other Benefits - Justice in Aging
SSI policy reforms can improve benefits access for older adults and people with disabilities, reducing barriers and strengthening economic security.
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A program created to prevent people from living in poverty should not punish people for saving money.
Why the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Asset Limit Must Go - Justice in Aging
SSI is a critical supplemental program to the Social Security system. Created in 1972, SSI provides modest financial assistance for older adults and people
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Medicaid work requirements will introduce needless red tape that could cause millions of Americans to lose their health coverage, even when they still qualify. But states can ease the burden these new rules create.
Mitigating the Harms of Medicaid Work Requirements for Older Adults: Tools for State Advocates - Justice in Aging
States can help people keep their Medicaid coverage by reducing paperwork and allowing them to self-report health conditions and caregiving responsibilities as exemptions from work requirements.
to.justiceinaging.org