AGS Letters to Trump, Congress: Underline Policy Vision for Geriatric Care Programs

In letters written to President-elect Donald Trump and Congress, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) stresses the importance of collaborating to support older American adults through critical programs and policies according to an AGS press release.

Chief Executive Officer of the AGS, Nancy E Lundebjerg, MPA, said the letters “focused on programs that are critical to the clinical care of older Americans and their families, and to ensuring that we have a workforce with the skills and competence to care for us all as we age….We look forward to working with the administration and Congress on public policy solutions that will achieve our vision for a future when every older American receives high-quality, person-centered care.”
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AGS’s vision for the future involves federal as well as state policies that continue to:

• Expand health care options for older adults so that more can live independently for as long as possible and support our current and future caregivers with adequate resources;
• Ensure that initiatives for rewarding quality in health care take into account the unique health circumstances of all older people, particularly those living with multiple chronic conditions or complex care needs;
• Strengthen primary and preventive care and care coordination;
• Address the acute and growing nationwide shortage of geriatricians and all geriatrics health care professionals, while also ensuring that other clinicians have training that prepares them to care for older people; and
• Step-up research concerning healthy aging, the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of age-related health problems, and the cost effectiveness of various approaches to care.

The AGS also outlined its policy positions on changes to Medicare, Medicaid, and repealing health reforms that might increase costs, reduce coverage, or cut benefits. Additional recommendations stressed continuing innovations in care delivery and care coordination, as well as serving the needs of American veterans. As noted in its letters, the AGS believes these and other key programs at the state and national level “will ensure that older Americans can continue to make meaningful contributions to their communities.”—Amanda Del Signore