C: On April 11, AARP submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) on the 2025 Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Proposed Rule. The proposed rules aim to protect

consumers from improper enrollments and changes to their health care coverage and focus on strengthening the overall integrity of exchange Marketplaces. Our comments focus on the impacts of

shortening annual and special enrollment periods on consumers and maintaining a state’s right to adjust Essential Health Benefits (EHB) benchmarks to meet the needs of their residents. (PDF)

  L: On April 2nd, AARP, as part of the Modern Medicaid Alliance (MMA) coalition, signed on to a letter to House and Senate Leadership, emphasizing the vital role that Medicaid plays in

Lifespan Respite Care Reauthorization Act of 2025. The bill would reauthorize the Lifespan Respite Care Program through Fiscal Year 2029 and enable the program to serve family caregivers

under age 18. The program helps family caregivers caring for loved ones regardless of age or disability, including by providing respite services, training respite workers and volunteers,

providing information about and assistance in accessing services, and better coordinating services. Respite care provides family caregivers with short breaks from their caregiving

responsibilities. (PDF)  L: On April 1, AARP sent a letter to Senator Klobuchar (D-MN) and Senator Grassley (R-IA), expressing support for two bills aimed at boosting competition in the

prescription drug market and improving seniors’ access to affordable medications. The _Preserving Access to Affordable Generics and Biosimilars Act _would crack down on the anti-competitive

practice of pay-for-delay deals – lucrative agreements where brand-name drug companies compensate generic and biosimilar drug companies to delay market entry. The _Stop STALLING Act_ would

rein in brand name drug companies who file baseless citizen petitions with the FDA to delay the approval of generic and biosimilar drugs that would compete with their products. Together,

these bills would help speed the availability of lower-priced prescription drugs for patients and taxpayers. (PDF) L: On April 1, AARP endorsed the _Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary

and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act_ of 2025. This bipartisan bill permanently removes many barriers that would otherwise prevent Medicare beneficiaries from receiving

coverage for telehealth services. The bill is sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Sen. Peter

Welch (D-VT), and Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY). A House companion bill is forthcoming. (PDF) L: On April 1, AARP endorsed the _National Nursing Workforce Center Act_. The bipartisan

legislation would support our national nursing workforce through better information gathering and coordinating of policies at the state and federal levels. The bill is introduced in the

Senate by Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC). (PDF) MARCH L: On March 31, 2025, AARP sent letters to Senators Markey (D-MA) and Capito (R-WV) and Representatives

Cammack (R-FL) and Magaziner (D-RI) endorsing the Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers Act. The bill would help reduce red tape for family caregivers in Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security

programs, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. It could help reduce the frustration family caregivers face and save them valuable time in their caregiving role. (Senate-PDF)

(House-PDF) L: On March 26th, AARP sent a letter to Senator Cornyn (R-TX) and Senator Blumenthal (D-CT, expressing support for two bills aimed at increasing competition in the prescription

drug market. The _Drug Competition Enhancement Act_ would end the harmful practice of “product hopping,” a tactic that brand name drug companies use to avoid competition from more affordable

generic or biosimilar drugs. The second bill, the _Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act_, would crack down on the practice of “patent thickets,” where drug companies apply for multiple

patents – sometimes hundreds – covering minor changes to the same drug, all to avoid competition. These bills would boost competition and speed up consumers’ access to innovative and

affordable prescription drugs. (PDF) C: On March 25, AARP submitted a statement for the record in response to an earlier hearing held by the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee entitled

After the Hospital: Ensuring Access to Quality Post-Acute Care. AARP’s statement emphasizes the importance of policies that would support family caregivers, improve nursing home quality,

expand access to post-acute care and home health, ensure continued access to telehealth (including related to hospital at home), and increase financial transparency for long-term care

providers. (PDF) L: On March 21, AARP sent a letter to Senators Durbin (D-IL) and Tillis (R-NC) in support of the _Interagency Patent Coordination and Improvement Act of 2025_. This bill

would create a task force between the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to improve information sharing about drug patents. Stronger

collaboration between these agencies can help prevent unnecessary delays in bringing more affordable generic and biosimilar drugs to market, ensuring that older adults and all consumers have

access to safe, effective, and affordable medications. (PDF) L: On March 14, 2025, AARP sent letters to Representatives Miller (R-WV) and Stansbury (D-NM) in support of the _Stopping

Addiction and Falls for the Elderly (SAFE) Act_. The SAFE Act would enable physicians to refer at-risk Medicare beneficiaries to a physical or occupational therapist for an initial falls

risk assessment and prevention visit without cost sharing. Removing this financial barrier would help identify and address fall risks, prevent falls, and reduce the expenses tied to

fall-related treatments. The bipartisan bill would play an important role in preventing falls among our nation’s older adults, helping them stay safe, healthy, and independent. (PDF) C: On

March 13, 2025, AARP submitted a response to a Request for Information from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) regarding the impact of ageism in health care. The response

acknowledges the significant consequences of age discrimination in health care, and recommends a multi-faceted approach that includes expanding research on age discrimination, increasing the

adoption of Age-Friendly Health Systems, enhancing geriatric training for health care providers, and ensuring equitable access to clinical trials. Additionally, AARP urges stronger

oversight of AI-driven health care decisions to prevent bias, improvements in emergency and crisis care standards to safeguard older adults, and greater recognition of family

caregivers' roles in health care. (PDF) L: On March 11, 2025, AARP endorsed the Credit for Caring Act led by Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) and

Representatives Mike Carey (R-OH) and Linda Sánchez (D-CA). The bill would provide an up to $5,000 nonrefundable federal tax credit for eligible working family caregivers to help offset a

portion of out-of-pocket caregiving expenses and provide much-needed financial relief. (House-PDF) (Senate-PDF) L: On March 6, 2025, AARP urged the Senate Finance Committee and House Energy

& Commerce Committee to protect Medicaid for millions of older Americans and people with disabilities. In a letter to Senate Finance Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Ranking Member Ron

Wyden (D-OR) and House Energy & Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ), AARP emphasized Medicaid’s critical role in ensuring access to health care

and long-term services, particularly for the more than 2.7 million Americans aged 50 and older in rural areas. The letter warned against cuts that could threaten essential care, disrupt

long-term services, and burden older Americans with additional costs or red tape. AARP called for reforms to strengthen Medicaid’s support for home and community-based care while opposing

proposals that would reduce eligibility or shift costs to states. (House-PDF) (Senate-PDF) L: On March 6, 2025, AARP sent letters to House and Senate Agriculture Committee leadership, urging

both committees to protect the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for older Americans. The letter highlights the growing food insecurity among older adults—affecting 12.6

million in 2023—and underscores SNAP’s critical role in helping seniors afford nutritious food, especially as grocery prices remain high. (House-PDF) (Senate-PDF) L: On March 4, 2025, AARP

sent a letter to Senators Collins (R-ME) and Baldwin (D-WI) endorsing the Lifespan Respite Care Reauthorization Act of 2025. The bill would reauthorize the Lifespan Respite Care Program

through Fiscal Year 2030 and enable the program to serve family caregivers under age 18. The program helps family caregivers caring for loved ones regardless of age or disability, including

by providing respite services, training respite workers and volunteers, providing information about and assistance in accessing services, and better coordinating services. Respite care

provides family caregivers with short breaks from their caregiving responsibilities. (PDF) FEBRUARY L: On February 28, 2025, AARP endorsed the Improving Care and Access to Nurses (I CAN) Act

of 2025 (H.R. 1317/S. 575). The bill is led by Rep. David Joyce (R-OH), Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Rep. Jennifer Kiggans (R-VA), Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL), and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL)

in the House, and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) in the Senate. This bill would update rules to reflect best practices enabling Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries

to have direct access to Advance Practice Registered Nurses and other licensed clinicians. Optimizing the existing health care workforce will help improve access and availability for people

needing care. (House-PDF) (Senate-PDF) S: On February 26, 2025, AARP submitted a Statement for the Record for the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health’s hearing titled, “An

Examination of How Reining in PBMs Will Drive Competition and Lower Costs for Patients.” The statement emphasizes the need for more transparency, accountability, and competition in the

prescription drug market – including tackling harmful PBM practices that contribute to high drug prices. Comments call for bipartisan, comprehensive PBM reform and to ensure consumers,

especially seniors, benefit from lower drug prices. (PDF) L: On February 25, 2025, AARP endorsed the Improving Measurements for Loneliness and Isolation Act sponsored by Representatives Mike

Flood (R-NE) and Ami Bera, MD (D-CA). The bill would establish a working group to formulate recommendations for standardizing the measurements of loneliness and isolation, an important step

to help address isolation and loneliness and consistent with recommendations of the previous U.S. Surgeon General and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (PDF) L:

On February 11, 2025, AARP endorsed two bills led by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), which would crack down on bad pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) behavior. The

Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) Transparency Act of 2025 would prohibit “spread pricing,” where a PBM charges insurance plans more for a drug than what they pay the pharmacy and keeps the

difference. The Prescription Pricing for the People Act of 2025 would require the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to examine the role of PBMs in the supply chain and provide Congress with

policy recommendations to improve transparency and competition. These bills aim to increase transparency and accountability in the prescription drug supply chain, which will help lower costs

for consumers and taxpayers. (PDF) JANUARY C: On Monday, January 27th, AARP submitted comments on proposed 2026 changes to Medicare prescription drug programs and Medicare Advantage. The

changes include implementing several consumer benefits in 2026 and beyond, such as $0 cost-sharing for recommended adult vaccines and a $35 cap on insulin costs. AARP also supports the

Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which allows enrollees to spread out-of-pocket drug costs over monthly payments, easing financial burdens. AARP backs measures to ensure equitable access

to behavioral health services and improve transparency in Medicare Advantage plan networks. The letter emphasizes clear communication and protections against deceptive marketing,

highlighting the need for high-quality, affordable healthcare options and informed choices for Medicare beneficiaries. (PDF) L: On January 23rd, AARP sent a letter to Senator Grassley (R-IA)

and Senator Durbin (D-IL) expressing support for the Drug-Price Transparency for Consumers (DTC) Act of 2025. This bill would require drug manufacturers to include the monthly price of

certain drugs in direct-to-consumer advertisements. AARP’s letter notes that this bill is another step to hold big drug companies accountable and empower patients to make informed decisions

when faced with ubiquitous drug advertising. (PDF) S: AARP submitted a written statement for the record to the House Ways and Means Committee for its January 14 hearing on The Need to Make

Permanent the Trump Tax Cuts for Working Families. AARP’s statement discusses the financial challenges family caregivers face and we urge the committee to include the Credit for Caring Act

and the Lowering Costs for Caregivers Act in any tax package this year. (PDF) L: On January 9, 2025, AARP sent a letter to Representatives Vern Buchanan (R-FL) and Mike Thompson (D-CA)

endorsing the bipartisan Lowering Costs for Caregivers Act. This bill would allow family caregivers to use their pre-tax health expense accounts (e.g., HSAs and FSAs) to pay for costs

related to a parent or parent-in-law, in addition to their spouse and dependents as currently permitted by law. The bill would be an important step to help alleviate the financial challenges

that millions of family caregivers experience every day, particularly those in the “sandwich generation” who are caring for both their parents and their own children. (PDF) L: On January 7,

2025, AARP, along with more than 100 other signatories, sent a letter to Congress urging the enactment of financial relief for family caregivers by including the bipartisan, bicameral

Credit for Caring Act (S. 3702/H.R. 7165 in the 118th Congress) in any tax legislation they advance in the 119th Congress. This legislation would create a new, non-refundable federal tax

credit of up to $5,000 for eligible working family caregivers to help address the financial challenges of caregiving. (PDF)