WASHINGTON—Today, AARP released a new report detailing the savings from an important new protection for our nation’s 56 million Medicare drug plans enrollees. The savings, thanks to a provision in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act that AARP championed, will cap out-of-pocket prescription drug costs every year, beginning at $2,000 in January 2025. The report analyzes the number of enrollees that will benefit from the cap by state, age, gender, and race between 2025 and 2029. The findings indicate that Medicare drug plan enrollees who reach the new out-of-pocket cap will see average savings of roughly $1,100, or 56%, in 2025 for their prescription drugs.

Annapolis, Maryland—Today, AARP Maryland released a 2024 statewide election survey, revealing that candidates for president, U.S. Senate, and state races should pay close attention to Marylanders ages 50 and older. Maryland residents ages 50 and older make up an outsized portion of the electorate: in the 2020 elections, older voters accounted for 53% of all Maryland voters and in the 2022 mid-terms, they made up 62% of the state’s voters. Eighty-seven percent of voters ages 50 and older say they are “extremely motivated” to cast a ballot in November, compared with 70% of voters ages 18-49 saying the same.

LANSING, Mich.—Today, AARP Michigan released a 2024 statewide election survey, finding that candidates should pay close attention to Michiganders ages 50 and older, who make up an outsized portion of the electorate. In the 2020 elections, older voters accounted for 55% of all Michigan voters and in the 2022 mid-terms, they made up 60% of the state’s voters. Eighty-eight percent of voters ages 50 and older say they are “extremely motivated” to cast a ballot in November, 12 points higher than the 76% of voters ages 18-49 who say the same.

Today, AARP Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer Nancy LeaMond issued the following statement in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announcement of the first Medicare negotiated drug prices as part of the 2022 prescription drug law:

A new AARP study shows that four in five (78%) older adults who identify as LGBTQ+ are concerned about having enough support from family and friends as they get older. At the same time, nearly half (45%) are already living with a chronic condition, disability, or both – a figure that will likely increase as they age. The report, “Dignity 2024: The Experience of LGBTQ+ Older Adults,” examines top concerns of LGBTQ+ adults age 45 and over, from caregiving, to mental health, to finances.