Too many people who are eligible for low-cost health insurance coverage or financial help to pay for health care services are not receiving those benefits. Enrollment in the Medicare Savings Program (MSP), for example, which helps cover Medicare premiums or out-of-pocket costs for low-income Medicare beneficiaries, is as low as 25 percent in some states. And nearly 11 million uninsured individuals eligible for Affordable Care Act (ACA) Health Insurance Marketplace subsidies did not sign up for coverage in 2020, including 1.4 million older adults.

Access to affordable health care is critical to people leading healthy, productive, and secure lives. And older adults, with their higher rates of chronic health conditions, would benefit substantially from having affordable health coverage that meets their needs. That is why AARP joins with other organizations to help ensure people are both aware of and enroll in programs that lower their health care expenses. We are also doing the research to understand who’s not enrolled in these programs and why, so that outreach efforts can be targeted.