More than 17 million older Americans miss out on important public benefits
A new data tool helps policymakers identify and bridge service gaps among older adults across states and counties for assistance programs. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
A new interactive map can help state and local governments improve older adults’ access to assistance programs.
More than 17 million Americans ages 65 and older are not enrolled in three major public benefits programs available for aging individuals, despite being eligible for assistance. That’s according to a new data tool policymakers can use to identify and bridge service gaps across states and counties.
Low participation rates aren’t “just an issue of outreach,” said Jessica Johnston of the National Council on Aging’s Center for Economic Well-being. “There are ways to make [enrollment] administratively easier for people … that could really increase enrollments as well.”
An interactive map released by the National Council on Aging and Urban Institute last month shows participation rates among adults ages 65 and older for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, program and Medicare Savings Program. Users can view participation rates at the state or county level and compare data across up to five jurisdictions.
The map uses data from the American Community Survey and Urban Institute’s Analysis of Transfers, Taxes, and Income Security microsimulation model, which simulates eligibility and enrollment rates across different benefits and tax programs.
The data reflects 2018 numbers, which Johnston said is likely more representative of current public assistance enrollment trends, since many benefits programs expanded their coverage during the pandemic, altering typical participation rates.
The map offers a clearer picture of which communities are lagging in participation, Johnston said, because “the more granular you can get with the data, the more targeted you can be with your outreach.”
Take Florida, for instance. The state has an SSI participation rate of 48.6%, so “it might be tempting to overlook Florida and say, ‘Well they’re not struggling to enroll people in SSI,’” Johnston said. But county-level data shows stark disparities in enrollment rates. For instance, Miami-Dade County has an SSI participation rate of 90%, while about 100 miles north, St. Lucie County has an enrollment of 18.4%.
County officials could, for instance, use that data as an opportunity to work together and develop policies for increasing enrollment rates, Johnston said.
Many older adults live on a fixed income—and about 6 million to 8 million live in poverty—which puts a strain on their ability to afford groceries, transportation, medical appointments and other needs.
For state and local governments, Johnston said, safety nets are a form of preventative care for older adults. An aging individual with access to a Medicare Savings Program, for instance, can better afford the care and treatments they need to manage their health conditions and avoid, for instance, emergency department visits.
The data can also indicate a need for improved benefits application processes. In Rhode Island, for instance, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program enrollment rate is 51%—the only state to exceed 50%. Johnston said the state has a streamlined application process allowing people to apply for multiple benefit programs through one application.
Without improvements to enrollment efforts and the application process for public assistance services, Johnston said, “closing the benefits gap is only going to be harder and harder as more and more people are coming of age to be able to receive those benefits.”
NEXT STORY: 26 states may soon need to regulate cannabis—here’s what they can learn from Colorado and Washington