President Trump’s 2026 budget would freeze spending for many services for older adults, deeply cut others, continue his efforts to slash government staffing for key programs, and abolish a critical federal office that manages many of those initiatives. It would retain, but sharply reduce funding for, the National Institute on Aging. It would restructure and cut funding for low-income housing, [...]
Low-income workers who leave their jobs or reduce their hours to care for aging parents risk losing their own Medicaid benefits, according to a House committee’s budget plan. At the same time, major cuts in projected federal Medicaid funding threaten the ability of states to continue to provide services to low-income seniors and younger people with disabilities. Older adults and [...]
President Trump’s executive order aimed at lowering the prices of prescription drugs in the US is unlikely to reduce them very much at all. While Trump made his announcement with great fanfare, he has little or no power to make the changes he promises. Trump’s idea, which is similar to a plan he failed to enact in his first term, [...]
Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) is exploring ways to lower the costs of his proposal for a public catastrophic long-term care insurance program. Among the ideas on the table: Simplifying the benefit structure and switching from a cash benefit to one that reimburses people for their out-of-pocket expenses. Suozzi’s bill, the Well-Being Insurance for Seniors to be at Home (WISH) Act, [...]
We soon will learn what Congress and the Trump Administration have in store for Medicaid. But while the state/federal program has become a high-profile target, it is widely misunderstood. And so are the consequences of major Medicaid changes for older adults, people with disabilities, and their families. Yes, Medicaid provides medical insurance for low-income working age people and their children. [...]
The Trump Administration has cut by more than 40 percent the staff that oversees critical federal programs for older adults and younger people with disabilities who live at home. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired the staffers who manage and review federal grants to state and local governments and community-based organizations for programs such as Meals [...]
The Trump Administration is abolishing the office that manages and coordinates most federal programs for older adults and younger people with disabilities who live at home. At the same time, it is restructuring two offices that provide independent evaluation and analysis of patient safety and long-term care. The elimination of the Administration for Community Living (ACL) will be a major [...]
Will the Trump Administration push more beneficiaries into Medicare Advantage managed care plans? Will the Administration limit payments to the insurance companies that run those plans? Will it do both? Whatever Trump does, the consequences will be significant for older adults and younger people with disabilities who rely on Medicare for their health care. Done well, an overhaul of MA [...]
President Trump’s advisor Elon Musk went on TV the other day to say he’d cut up to $700 billion in fraud and waste from Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. He can’t. The inevitable result: He’ll have to either slash benefits for program recipients or fall far short of his goals for cutting government spending. Or, perhaps, both. The Trump White [...]
Despite President Trump’s repeated promises that ”we’re not touching Social Security, other than to make it more efficient,” it appears his Administration is planning deep cuts in the program’s administration. And that inevitably will mean trouble for those receiving or applying for benefits. By slashing staff and tinkering with its internal computer systems, the Trump Administration is likely to make [...]