President Trump’s fiscal year 2018 budget submitted to Congress this week leaves core Social Security and Medicare benefits untouched, but proposes substantial cuts to anti-poverty programs impacting seniors and their families.
The budget proposal “A New Foundation for American Greatness,” aims to balance the federal budget over ten years with tax and regulatory reforms aiming to accelerate economic growth.
“Argentum is closely monitoring the president’s final budget proposal to ensure meaningful discussion around issues affecting seniors – one of our nation’s most vulnerable populations,” said Argentum President & CEO James Balda.
The president’s budget plan spares Medicare and Social Security, leaving trillions of dollars in cuts from other programs including Medicaid, nutrition assistance, federal employee-benefits, education, housing, environment, and foreign aid. These cuts were included in a “skinny budget” announced earlier this year and have been highly criticized by a broad array of interest groups.
Both Democrats and Republicans already have voiced strong concerns about the deep cuts proposed to domestic programs including the National Institutes of Health, which oversees programs affecting dementia research and many other issues in which senior living has an interest. Congress must approve any funding cuts and increases and will need 60 votes in the Senate to clear procedural hurdles. The president’s budget will be the subject of appropriations oversight hearings in the coming weeks along with a non-binding budget resolution that will set the stage for further tax and health care reform legislation.
Although lawmakers are not likely to approve the president’s budget proposal, current key items of interest to senior living include:
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
- Medical liability reforms designed to save HHS programs $31.8 billion over 10 years and $55 billion to the federal government overall.
- Reduced funding for health workforce activities by $403 million by discontinuing diversity training programs, mental and behavioral health programs, oral health programs, and select nursing and physician training programs.
Administration for Community Living (part of HHS)
Nutrition Services Programs
- $833 million for nutrition services—the same level as the FY 2017 continuing resolution—which includes funding for congregate meals, home-delivered meals, and the Nutrition Services Incentive Program.
- $368 million for home and community-based supportive services and preventive health services, which maintains funding at the FY 2017 continuing resolution level.
National Institutes of Health (part of HHS)
- Budget cut by 18 percent from 2017 spending levels, to $26 billion.
- In FY 2017, Congress enacted the 21st Century Cures Act, authorizing $4.8 billion over 10 years in support of high priority NIH initiatives and research areas: the Precision Medicine Initiative; the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative; the Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot; and Regenerative Medicine. The NIH FY 2018 budget includes $496 million authorized for these initiatives.
- Budget cut by $294 million to the National Institute on Aging, which leads implementation of research goals of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (part of HHS)
- Medicaid’s budget would be cut by $610 billion over the next 10 years.
About Argentum
Argentum is the leading national association exclusively dedicated to supporting companies operating professionally managed, resident-centered senior living communities and the older adults and families they serve. Argentum member companies operate senior living communities offering assisted living, independent living, continuing care, and memory care services to older adults and their families. Since 1990, Argentum has advocated for choice, independence, dignity, and quality of life for all older adults. Learn more at argentum.org.
Contact
Sharon Cohen
Argentum, [email protected]
703-562-1186
