Reauthorize the Older Americans Act

Enhancing the ability of our nation’s seniors to “age in place” in their own homes and communities has the potential to improve health outcomes and quality of life.  It can also reduce preventable healthcare costs and delay the decision by seniors to receive more expensive care in a nursing home or other institutionalized setting.  That is why the Senate’s unanimous passage of the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2015 (S. 192), a key component of any successful national aging-in-place strategy, is such a welcome achievement.  The bill is now in the hands of the House of Representatives where swift bipartisan consideration is critical. We encourage Congress to reauthorize this important legislation this year as it marks its 50th anniversary.