Argentum staff and representatives from our State Partners met last week with the offices of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ranking Member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, and Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA), a member of the Committee, to discuss two key priorities affecting senior living: passage of the Older Americans Act (OAA) Reauthorization Act and growing concerns surrounding a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report examining federal spending in assisted living settings.
During the meetings, Argentum reinforced its strong disagreement with both the premise and conclusions of the GAO report. While the report highlights billions of dollars in federal spending associated with residents of assisted living communities, Argentum emphasized that the vast majority of those dollars are not paid directly to assisted living providers. Instead, funding flows through state Medicaid programs, Medicare-covered health care services, and federally regulated providers that serve older adults living in assisted living communities.
We are concerned that some policymakers may use the GAO report to advance a one-size-fits-all federal regulatory framework modeled after nursing home regulations. We stressed that state governments have long served as the primary regulators of assisted living, tailoring oversight and requirements to meet the needs of residents and communities within their borders, and that expanding federal oversight would undermine the flexibility that defines assisted living while increasing compliance costs for providers. In turn, these additional burdens could reduce participation in Medicaid waiver programs, limit resident access to services, and ultimately decrease housing and care options for older adults.
In addition to discussing the GAO report, Argentum continued its advocacy for swift congressional action on the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act. Last week, Argentum sent a letter to House Education and Workforce Committee leadership urging prompt consideration of the bipartisan legislation following its unanimous passage in the Senate earlier this month. The legislation would reauthorize OAA programs through Fiscal Year 2030 and includes several priorities supported by Argentum. Among them are provisions calling for a new White House Conference on Aging, initiatives that encourage multigenerational engagement and volunteerism, and programs designed to combat social isolation and promote meaningful social connections for older adults.
Argentum will continue engaging members of the Senate Aging Committee, House lawmakers, and other key stakeholders to ensure policymakers understand the unique role assisted living plays in the long-term care continuum while advancing policies that expand choice, independence, and quality of life for older adults. We thank the Empire State Association of Assisted Living and the Georgia Senior Living Association for joining us in these important discussions and helping amplify the voice of senior living providers on Capitol Hill.