En español | WASHINGTON—AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins released the following statement in response to President Biden’s State of the Union speech this evening, during which he called for action on high drug prices and announced new policies to improve nursing home care:

“AARP is encouraged that President Biden continues to urge Congress to act on our nation’s skyrocketing prescription drug prices. If the prices for household goods grew as fast as drug prices over the last 15 years, gas would now cost $12.20 a gallon and milk would be $13 a gallon. For all those years, politicians made promises to lower drug prices, but they just kept going up. Allowing Medicare to negotiate the price it pays for prescription drugs will help protect seniors from inflation by lowering their drug prices and putting money back in their pockets. This policy proposal is strongly supported by vast majorities of Democratic, Independent and Republican voters.

“How much longer will older Americans be forced to wait for the Senate to lower drug prices? Now is the time to get the job done. We urge the Senate to keep their promises to voters and lower drug prices, reduce seniors’ drug costs, and save taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars.

“We were also encouraged to hear the President describe new actions to ensure that residents in nursing homes will receive the safe, high-quality care they deserve. For years, AARP and AARP Foundation have sounded the alarm about problems in America’s nursing homes. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the chronic, ongoing issues with our long-term care system and emphasized the need for reform. It is a national disgrace that more than 200,000 residents and staff in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities died. AARP urges the federal government to act swiftly to ensure minimum staffing standards, increase transparency, and hold nursing homes accountable when they do not provide quality care.”

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About AARP
AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence and nearly 38 million members, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org, www.aarp.org/espanol or follow @AARP, @AARPenEspanol and @AARPadvocates, @AliadosAdelante on social media.