{"id":207881,"date":"2021-03-22T11:05:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-22T08:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/all-the-ways-the-latest-1-9-trillion-stimulus-will-help-older-americans\/"},"modified":"2021-03-22T11:05:00","modified_gmt":"2021-03-22T08:05:00","slug":"all-the-ways-the-latest-1-9-trillion-stimulus-will-help-older-americans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/all-the-ways-the-latest-1-9-trillion-stimulus-will-help-older-americans\/","title":{"rendered":"#\n  All the ways the latest $1.9 trillion stimulus will help older Americans"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3c5947da67c\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3c5947da67c\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/all-the-ways-the-latest-1-9-trillion-stimulus-will-help-older-americans\/#A_breakdown_of_how_this_age-friendly_plan_will_help\" >A breakdown of how this age-friendly plan will help<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-6' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-6'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-6' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-6'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-6' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-6'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-6' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-6'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/all-the-ways-the-latest-1-9-trillion-stimulus-will-help-older-americans\/#Healthcare_health_costs_and_coverage\" >Healthcare, health costs and coverage<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-6'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/all-the-ways-the-latest-1-9-trillion-stimulus-will-help-older-americans\/#Jobs_housing_entrepreneurship_pensions_and_volunteering\" >Jobs, housing, entrepreneurship, pensions and volunteering<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-6'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/all-the-ways-the-latest-1-9-trillion-stimulus-will-help-older-americans\/#The_Older_Americans_Act_and_the_new_law\" >The Older Americans Act and the new law<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-6'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/all-the-ways-the-latest-1-9-trillion-stimulus-will-help-older-americans\/#An_intergenerational_law\" >An intergenerational law<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/all-the-ways-the-latest-1-9-trillion-stimulus-will-help-older-americans\/#Bob_Blancato_Meredith_Ponder_Whitmire\" >Bob Blancato Meredith Ponder Whitmire<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#<br \/>\n  All the ways the latest $1.9 trillion stimulus will help older Americans<br \/>\n<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"article__subhead\" itemprop=\"alternativeHeadline\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_breakdown_of_how_this_age-friendly_plan_will_help\"><\/span>\n  A breakdown of how this age-friendly plan will help<br \/>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"column column--full article__content\">\n<div id=\"js-article__body\" class=\"article__body article-wrap at16-col16 barrons-article-wrap\" itemprop=\"articleBody\" data-sbid=\"WP-MKTW-0000205397\">\n<div class=\"barrons-article-ad-wrapper\">\n<div data-track=\"barrons-article-ad-wrap\" class=\"barrons-article-ad sticky_item\">\n<div class=\"barrons-main-article-ad-target sticky_target body_ad\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>       <em>This article is reprinted by permission from\u00a0<\/em><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nextavenue.org\/\" class=\"icon none\"><em>NextAvenue.org<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p> You\u2019ve probably heard plenty about The American Rescue Plan\u2019s COVID-19 relief checks, expanded child care tax credits and unemployment benefit provisions. But what you likely don\u2019t know is how age-friendly it is.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 could well be one of the most age-friendly bills in some time.<\/p>\n<div class=\"paywall\">\n<p>The law certainly provides important and needed funding for programs normally identified as being for older Americans.\u00a0However, a closer look at the legislation shows just how positive it is for aging concerns in a variety of areas:<\/p>\n<h6><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Healthcare_health_costs_and_coverage\"><\/span><strong>Healthcare, health costs and coverage<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h6>\n<p>The new law will help older Americans stay healthy and keep their healthcare costs down in a few ways.<\/p>\n<p>The $20 billion for improving vaccine administration and testing is important since, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation report,\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/coronavirus-covid-19\/press-release\/kff-covid-19-vaccine-monitor-probes-americans-experiences-trying-to-sign-up-for-a-vaccine-and-to-find-relevant-information\/\" class=\"icon none\">more than 50% <\/a>of those over 65 have not received their first vaccine\u00a0and 1 in 6 have tried but could not get <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ointments.<\/p>\n<p>The law also provides $50 billion for testing and genomic sequencing of coronavirus variants and $10 billion for more personal protective equipment.\u00a0All of these are especially important to older adults because they\u2019ve been disproportionately impacted by\u00a0COVID-19.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Also noteworthy: $460 million to let the nation\u2019s network of aging services become more involved in vaccine dissemination to older adults. This network will be able to better assist people with transportation, information and referral and administering vaccines to\u00a0homebound older adults.<\/p>\n<p>The pandemic has forced a new reckoning on health equity and this law provides over $25 billion to promote it, including more than $7 billion for community health centers which will help underserved older adults.<\/p>\n<p>Also, $200 million will be provided to nursing homes for infection control and vaccination uptake support to prevent or mitigate COVID-19 and $10 million will be directed to long-term care ombudsman programs, according to The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long Term Care. (Nursing homes\u00a0and long-term-care facilities have accounted for about 35% of COVID-19 deaths, Mark Miller recently wrote in his Retirement Revised <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>letter.)<\/p>\n<div id=\"cx-membership-tile\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>See: <\/strong>The problems of today\u2019s nursing homes can be traced back hundreds of years: How they evolved into what they are today<\/p>\n<p>And there\u2019s urgent aid for rural hospitals and rural healthcare. This will benefit the\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/library\/stories\/2019\/10\/older-population-in-rural-america.html\" class=\"icon none\">more than 20% <\/a>of older adults in rural America, through improved access to critical medical services.<\/p>\n<p>Also, almost 15 million people of all ages have lost their employer-based health insurance during the pandemic, including people in their 50s and early 60s who are not yet eligible for Medicare. The American Rescue Plan Act will subsidize health insurance, regardless of age, for those who buy coverage through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace exchanges.<\/p>\n<p>The Georgetown University Health Policy Institute offers this example: a 65-year-old earning $58,000 will have their Marketplace premiums reduced from $12,900 a year to $4,950.<\/p>\n<p>Marketplace health insurance premiums also are now capped at 8.5% of a person\u2019s income.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, the law will subsidize 100% of\u00a0COBRA\u00a0premiums through September 30, 2021 for workers who lose their jobs. (COBRA is the federal law mandating employers with 20 or more full-time employees provide employees and their families health coverage for 18 months after an employee loses a job or has work hours reduced; premiums are typically expensive.)<\/p>\n<p>The law\u2019s 10% increased federal match to states offering $12 billion in more home and community-based services under Medicaid for a year will also benefit older adults who are aging in place in their homes rather than in nursing homes or assisted living facilities.<\/p>\n<h6><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Jobs_housing_entrepreneurship_pensions_and_volunteering\"><\/span><strong>Jobs, housing, entrepreneurship, pensions and volunteering<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h6>\n<p>According to the New York Times, workers age 65 and over suffered a\u00a0roughly<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2021\/03\/09\/business\/economy\/covid-employment-demographics.html?searchResultPosition=2\" class=\"icon none\"> 11% loss <\/a>in employment\u00a0compared with before the pandemic \u2014 higher than any other age group. They will be included in the law\u2019s extension of pandemic unemployment programs, including the supplemental $300-a-week benefit that will last through September 6, 2021. And, of course, many older adults are among the millions receiving $1,400 cash payments.<\/p>\n<p><strong>See: <\/strong>6 top strategies for 50+ job seekers in a COVID world<\/p>\n<p>The housing provisions in the American Rescue Plan Act can be viewed through a generational lens, too. The law provides $21.6 billion in emergency rental assistance, which will aid some struggling older adult renters. Another $5 billion will pay for secure safe, <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a>ly distant housing and supportive services for people experiencing homelessness \u2014 a growing crisis for older adults.<\/p>\n<p>The $10 billion provided for the State Small Business Credit Initiative will assist the growing number of older adults opening businesses and help them expand.<\/p>\n<p>The American Rescue Plan also provides an unprecedented $5.2 billion for\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2021\/03\/08\/reparations-black-farmers-stimulus\/\" class=\"icon none\">disadvantaged farmers<\/a>, of whom one-quarter are Black, with an\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/03\/04\/opinion\/black-farmers-covid-relief.html\" class=\"icon none\">average age of 61<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>And, as Next Avenue has noted, this new law provides up to $86 billion to pay pension benefits to over a million union workers and retirees whose\u00a0retirement plans were underfunded or insolvent.<\/p>\n<p>The federal volunteering programs of AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors (formerly Senior Corps) also received a total of $1 billion in emergency supplemental funding. That should make it easier for older Americans to sign up and offer their time and expertise.<\/p>\n<h6><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Older_Americans_Act_and_the_new_law\"><\/span><strong>The Older Americans Act and the new law<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h6>\n<p>The Older Americans Act will get a vital infusion of more than $1.4 billion from the American Rescue Plan Act. This includes $750 million for the Older Americans Act\u2019s largest program \u2014 nutrition assistance.\u00a0It has survived not only a wholesale conversion to being an almost entirely home-delivered meal program in the pandemic, but also dramatic increases in demand (as much as 300%) in some areas of the nation.<\/p>\n<p>More than 5.4 million people over 60 participate in the federal government\u2019s SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; formerly known as food stamps) and they\u2019ll get a\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.americashealthrankings.org\/explore\/senior\/measure\/SNAP_Reach\" class=\"icon none\">15% increase <\/a>in their benefits.<\/p>\n<p>This also includes $37 million for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which provides low-income older adults with monthly food boxes.<\/p>\n<p>Another important and historic provision is the $276 million in the law for\u00a0elder justice\u00a0funding. This will do many things including: letting Adult Protective Services agencies step up their work in aiding victims of elder abuse and preventing abuse; protecting vulnerable older adults from falling victim to COVID-19 vaccine-related scams and stopping the rash of\u00a0hate crimes directed against older Asian Americans.<\/p>\n<h6><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"An_intergenerational_law\"><\/span><strong>An intergenerational law<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h6>\n<p>Ultimately, while programs primarily for older adults fared very well in this landmark law, The American Rescue Plan recognizes that the needs caused by this pandemic affect persons of all ages.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read next:<\/strong> A worry for retirees: Inflation forecasts hit 8-year high<\/p>\n<p>One dramatic example: it will lift millions of all ages out of poverty with its new programs \u2013 including the expansion of the child tax credit, which will benefit grandparents raising grandchildren.<\/p>\n<p><em>Bob Blancato\u00a0is national coordinator of the Elder Justice Coalition, a national advocacy voice supporting elder justice in America, and president of Matz Blancato and Associates. He is a 2016 Next Avenue Influencer in Aging and winner of the American Society on Aging\u2019s 2020 Hall of Fame Award.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>Meredith Ponder Whitmire\u00a0is the senior associate at Matz Blancato and Associates, federal policy and advocacy manager for the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs and the federal policy and national media coordinator for the Elder Justice Coalition.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This article is reprinted by permission from\u00a0<\/em><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nextavenue.org\/\" class=\"icon none\"><em>NextAvenue.org<\/em><\/a><em>, \u00a9 2021 Twin Cities Public Television, Inc. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>More from Next Avenue:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"articleList\">\n<li>\n      <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nextavenue.org\/congress-addressing-elder-justice-in-america\/\" class=\"icon none\">How Congress Is Addressing Elder Justice in America<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n      <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nextavenue.org\/older-workers-unemployed-as-retirement-nears\/\" class=\"icon none\">Why More Older Workers Are Becoming Unemployed As Retirement Nears<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n      <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nextavenue.org\/ways-the-new-covid-19-relief-law-will-and-wont-help-older-americans\/\" class=\"icon none\">Ways the New COVID-19 Relief Law Will, and Won\u2019t, Help Older Americans<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"byline article__byline\">\n<p>      <span>By<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"author  hasMenu\" data-scrim='{\"type\":\"author\",\"header\":\"Bob Blancato Meredith Ponder Whitmire\",\"subhead\":\"The Wall Street Journal\",\"list\":[]}' itemscope itemprop=\"author\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Person\">\n<h4 itemprop=\"name\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bob_Blancato_Meredith_Ponder_Whitmire\"><\/span>Bob Blancato Meredith Ponder Whitmire<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more News articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/news\/story.asp?guid=%7B21005575-02D4-D4B5-4572-D322555ED1A8%7D&#038;siteid=rss&#038;rss=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;# All the ways the latest $1.9 trillion stimulus will help older Americans &#8221; A breakdown of how this age-friendly plan will help This article is reprinted by permission from\u00a0NextAvenue.org. You\u2019ve probably heard plenty about The American Rescue Plan\u2019s COVID-19 relief checks, expanded child care tax credits and unemployment benefit provisions. But what you likely&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":207882,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-207881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=207881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/207882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=207881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=207881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=207881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}