Aging and the Law, Sponsored by Poverty Law and Trusts and Estates

Go Back

Session Type: Section Programs

Session Capacity: N/A

Location: Hilton New Orleans Riverside

Room: Grand Salon Section 7

Floor: First Floor

The aging population in the United States faces growing uncertainty as proposals for sweeping federal budget cuts threaten Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid-cornerstones of financial and healthcare security for older adults. This panel will explore the legal and policy implications of these proposed changes, particularly their potential to destabilize healthcare access, long-term care, and economic stability for millions of older Americans and other minoritized communities. Panelists will examine how structural reforms, including block grants and per capita caps, could undermine Medicaid's role in providing essential services, while administrative workforce reductions in Social Security threaten to delay and deny critical benefits. Additionally, panelists will discuss the intersection of elder financial abuse and federal enforcement mechanisms, including the potential weakening of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) efforts to combat fraud targeting older adults, and proposals in other countries for curbing elder financial abuse. With an emphasis on legal advocacy and policy solutions, this discussion will highlight the role of elder law scholars and practitioners in responding to these challenges and protecting the rights of aging Americans.