AARP takes a variety of approaches to help older adults live healthier, happier lives. These strategic approaches are sometimes informally summarized as the pillars of health, wealth and self.
Lina Walker, vice president of Health Security at AARP, leads a team focused on certain angles of the “health” aspect of the rubric. We spoke with Walker to learn more about her work and some of the initiatives AARP is supporting in this area.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Will you tell us about your slice of the “health” component in the pillars of health, wealth and self?
I co-lead the enterprise health issue for AARP, and my team focuses on Medicare, Medicaid, affordability issues, prescription drugs and other things, along with education and outreach work in those areas. My team does not focus on other areas in the “health” pillar, such as caregiving, which includes issues related to home care and long-term care; or brain health, which includes sleep, nutrition and other things that help your cognitive function.
One of my team’s biggest strategic initiatives is the work we’re doing around Medicare education and standing up a new tool, the Medicare enrollment guide, to provide people enrolled in Medicare — as well as people approaching Medicare eligibility age — with facts and information so they have a better understanding of how to make the decisions they need to make. It's part of our larger Medicare Resource Center.
That sounds pretty comprehensive.
AARP used to focus mostly on the annual enrollment decision, when you decide whether you want to continue with your current Medicare plan or switch to another one. It’s an important decision, because it could save you a lot of money, and you want to make sure you have access to the right doctors.
But we hadn’t focused as much on people who are just approaching the age when they will become eligible for Medicare — this was a gap area for us.
So as part of our new strategy, we’re building an interactive, web-based tool that will help you get the information that is appropriate for your particular situation. Because everybody’s situation is different, right? As people approach 65, they’re coming from different places: Maybe they have Medicaid, maybe they have coverage from their employer or spouse’s employer, or through the Affordable Care Act. They might have particular doctors they need to see, or a retirement plan to factor in. It gets very complicated — and then everyone gets funneled into Medicare. So building this tool is a major strategic focus for us.
What about the work you’re doing on the policy side of things?
We like to say that AARP is both a wise friend and a fierce advocate for our members and for all older adults. Part of being that fierce advocate is working to make sure people have access to affordable prescription drugs, health insurance and health care. AARP has always had a strong presence in health care advocacy.
For example, there are still 12 states that haven’t expanded Medicaid as they’re allowed to do under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). So we continue to advocate for older adults in those states, because without affordable health insurance, there’s no health or financial security.
How are you engaging with those states?
We’re trying to demonstrate the reasons why expanding Medicaid is good both for people in those states and for the economy in those states. People who have coverage are more likely to be able to keep working because if they get sick, they can see a doctor. They can manage health conditions, and they’re more likely to be productive members of their state.
Plus, if an uninsured person goes to the hospital, the hospital is required to care for them. So the hospitals have to absorb a lot of those uncompensated care costs, and the state and federal governments have to pay into funds to help pay those costs.
What else would you like people to know about the work you’re doing with the Health Security team?
A lot of people who are eligible for these programs that provide financial assistance or low-cost health insurance are not enrolled. For example, as part of the American Rescue Act, Congress expanded financial assistance for ACA coverage. So people who had already bought coverage might have qualified for even more financial assistance, or even zero-cost plans. But polling shows that people didn’t know about this.
So part of our strategy is trying to educate and connect people to resources so they know what they’re eligible for, and then help them enroll in it. We had an intense education and outreach campaign focused on multicultural communities — we really wanted to get the word out about these lower-cost plans, the zero premium plans, and additional financial assistance, so people could sign up. We fight so hard for the legislation, and we get the legislation. So the next step is making sure people know about it and can benefit from that legislation.
You can learn more about the work Walker's team is doing — and much more, besides — at aarp.org.health.
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