In the President’s State of the Union Address 2023, he referenced several issues and goals related to aging services. Some highlights include:

• “Covid no longer controls our lives.”
• “We’re protecting seniors’ lives and life savings by cracking down on nursing homes that commit fraud, endanger patient safety, or prescribe drugs they don’t need.” This was the only reference to nursing homes and does not bucket all nursing homes together, but those providers engaging in illegal or unethical behaviors.
• Guaranteeing all workers a living wage. LeadingAge has long advocated this position, coupled with reimbursement rates to pay such wages.
• “Let’s get all families access to affordable and quality housing.”
• Helping older individuals stay in their homes. Supporting expansions like those proposed in Better Care Better Jobs bills that have been introduced in both chambers will move us closer to this end.
• Don’t cut Social Security and Medicare, lifelines for millions of older people.  The President said, “stand up for seniors!” Medicare, of course, is also a lifeline for many providers of post-acute care.

LeadingAge will continue to advocate for establishing an office on aging in the White House to keep the focus on these goals and action plans.