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Banking Post-COVID – Nursing Home Vaccines Pt. 2

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Policy Plus Action | The AARP Public Policy Institute Newsletter

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Nursing Home Vaccinations Got Off to a Good Start, but the Next Phase Demands Attention

Getting COVID-19 vaccines in the arms of residents and workers at nursing homes must remain a priority. While the initial push to provide shots at nursing homes was successful, the job is not done, with second doses still in need, new residents always arriving, and many facility staff still awaiting vaccination. Officials should develop and implement plans that offer on-site vaccinations and continue prioritizing long-term care facilities.

The Pandemic Has Highlighted Shortcomings of Temporary Jobs

Many older workers who left the labor market during the pandemic may reenter the workforce with temporary jobs. Reliance on temporary jobs, already a significant part of the labor force, is likely to grow.

One effect could be the rise of "permatemps"—or workers stuck in temporary jobs—making regular employment harder for them to find. Another issue highlighted by the pandemic: the number of frontline workers in temporary jobs who don’t get the health and safety protections permanent workers receive.

Presumptive Eligibility for Medicaid Home-Based Services Expands Consumer Choice

Older adults and people with disabilities overwhelmingly prefer to receive care at home and in the community rather than enter a nursing home. Home and community-based services enables them to do just that—yet in most states, long waits to determine eligibility for Medicaid, the primary funder of long-term care, is a major barrier.

One state strategy approach, known as presumptive eligibility, offers a solution by allowing home and community-based providers to start services and get paid right away. It allows nurses, social workers and others to presume a low-income individual to be eligible for Medicaid coverage and to green-light the care they need now.

The Changing Picture of Who Claims Social Security Early

As individuals approach their 60s, they face the important decision about when to start claiming Social Security retirement benefits. Two recent reports examine the issue, with one looking at the characteristics of those who decide to start collecting at the early-eligibility age of 62 and another examining the long-term financial consequences of that decision.

Meanwhile, there is also the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to consider. Report findings suggest that employment losses may lead to increased earlier claiming, particularly among those with less education and those living in more rural areas. Given the penalties associated with that decision, a pandemic-driven trend of collecting early could mean a significant impact on the financial security of a whole cohort of retirees in the coming decades.

More Affordable Health Coverage Now Available for Pre-Medicare Adults

Two recent federal actions are making health insurance more affordable and accessible for millions of Americans—including those ages 50 to 64, for whom affordability can be a major barrier. The first is a new law increasing financial assistance available for Affordable Care Act (ACA) health coverage, and the second is a special enrollment period, open now through August 15. The actions also create an opportunity to improve access to coverage for certain communities and reduce health coverage gaps.

Banking After COVID: Emerging Gaps in Financial Access

The pandemic has highlighted perennial challenges of the unbanked—that is, those without an account at a bank or credit union, which include 3.1 million households headed by someone age 50 or older. While this number is falling, it still represents a significant gap in financial access, adding complications to a person even receiving a pandemic-related stimulus payment. Unbanked individuals pay higher fees, face greater risk of their money being lost or stolen, and have no safe way to save. Meanwhile, the pandemic has revealed how the reliance on bank tellers among older adults curtailed their financial access as mobile banking surged and some bank branches closed. Such issues raise questions concerning banking going forward.

Improving the Nation’s Health Equity Through a More Diverse Nursing Workforce

Since the start of the year, the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action, an initiative of AARP Foundation, AARP and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that is building a healthier America through nursing, has brought together leaders from business, government, consumer organizations, and other areas to discuss how nurses can help lead in improving health equity for all. Now the three Health Equity Action Forums—on diversifying nursing’s workforce; nursing in the community; and nurses and financial stability—are online.

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Editor-in-Chief: Susan C. Reinhard, RN, PhD, FAAN
Senior Writer/Editor: Carl Levesque

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