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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 2, 2006 |
CONTACT: Steve Forde Telephone: (202) 225-4527 |
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Subcommittee Hears Testimony on Impact of, Potential Improvements to Older Americans Act Planned Legislation Would Provide U.S. Seniors Better Access on Federal Programs, Including Medicare’s New Prescription Drug Benefit
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. House Subcommittee on Select Education today held a hearing to discuss potential legislation to reauthorize the Older Americans Act, the chief federal law governing the organization and delivery of a number of social services for older Americans. Witnesses at the hearing – representing federal agencies, senior services organizations, and seniors themselves – highlighted the importance of services provided to seniors through the Older Americans Act.
“Over the past several months, we have been examining the current program, learning about the evolving issues facing older Americans, listening to seniors in their own words, and laying out a plan for strengthening services relied upon by millions of aging Americans each year,” noted Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-OH), chairman of the Select Education Subcommittee, who has worked in a bipartisan manner on older Americans issues with Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX), the ranking Democrat on the Subcommittee. “It is a great pleasure to have Mr. Hinojosa as a partner in this process. Our open approach demonstrates a desire to work cooperatively with interested parties as we move forward.”
Both Tiberi and witnesses at the hearing also noted that America’s aging population requires that additional reforms to the law are made to ensure the quality and effectiveness of federal programs aimed at assisting the elderly. Legislation to reauthorize the Older Americans Act, which is expected to be introduced later this week, will improve seniors’ access to information about a host of federal programs, including Medicare’s new prescription drug benefit.
“More than 30 million seniors have enrolled in the new Medicare prescription drug program,” noted Education & the Workforce Committee Chairman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA). “The common sense improvements we are poised to make will ensure seniors have even better access to information about this new benefit.”
Specifically, legislation expected to be introduced later this week would support community-based efforts to assist low-income and limited-English speaking populations in enrolling in the Medicare Drug Discount Card and launch Aging and Disabilities Resource Centers in all 50 states to create a single point of access to the range of programs and services available to seniors, including the new Medicare Drug Discount Card.
First enacted in 1965, the Older Americans Act funds transportation, nutrition, and referral to home care, health, and other social services. Nutrition services include the “Meals on Wheels” home delivery meal program. Josefina Carbonell, Assistant Secretary for Aging at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, discussed with the Committee the legacy of this 41-year old law.
“The Older Americans Act embodies our nation’s noblest aspirations for ensuring the dignity and independence of our older citizens by promoting older people’s full participation in society, and supporting their overwhelming desire to remain living in their own homes and communities for as long as possible,” said Carbonell, noting that the law established a national aging services network that presently consists of the federal Administration on Aging, 56 state agencies on aging, 655 area agencies on aging, almost 237 tribal organizations, 29,000 community-based provider organizations, and over 500,000 volunteers.
Mason Bishop, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training, discussed the nation’s changing senior population – changes that have laid the groundwork for improving the Older Americans Act.
“The U.S. economy is entering a period of dramatic demographic change as our population ages,” Bishop said. “According to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, 12 percent of the total population in 2004 was aged 65 or over, and this percentage is set to expand rapidly in the coming decades. After the first Baby Boomers turn 65 in 2011, the older population will become twice as large by 2030 as it was in 2000.”
Andre Bauer, Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina, is the head of the state’s unit on aging. He shared with the subcommittee his state’s innovative approach to establish public-private relationships on behalf of seniors.
“South Carolina was building for the future by positioning for the senior boom,” noted Bauer. “We believe technology, data, and research can allow us to make evidence-based decisions to give us the best results as we invest our scarce tax dollars. South Carolina may be unique in its creation of a senior data cube, which links together large data bases so they may be cross referenced. We are early in this process, and have been helped, as always, by creating partnerships and being alert to private sector and foundation funding.”
Bauer is just one of several state or local officials to participate in the process of crafting this year’s reauthorization of the Older Americans Act. The Select Education Subcommittee held field hearings in Ohio and Texas earlier this year to lay the groundwork for today’s hearing and the upcoming introduction of legislation to strengthen federal programs impacting seniors. The legislation is expected to:
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