2025 Legislative Priorities

AARP North Dakota is a non-partisan, non-profit advocating for public policies to benefit the 50+ population and all older North Dakotans. This year, we urge lawmakers to help lower the cost of prescription drugs, fight fraud, expand affordable, accessible housing options, and provide property tax relief.

LOWERING PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS
Retail prices for widely used brand name prescription drugs increased substantially faster than general inflation every year from 2006 to 2020. Between 2019 and 2020, retail prices for 260 brand name prescription drugs widely used by older Americans, including Medicare beneficiaries, increased by an average of 2.9%. In contrast, the general inflation rate was 1.3% over the same period. The high cost of prescription drugs impacts all North Dakotans, especially those 50 and older. In 2023, North Dakotans indicated the importance of being able to afford healthcare expenses (89%) and being able to pay for prescription drugs (83%), both increased by 8% since 2020.

Policy Priorities

• AARP supports policy changes that help make prescription drugs more affordable, including placing a cap on a consumer’s out-of-pocket drug expenses. Caps on out-of-pocket costs can make prescriptions more affordable and accessible at the point of sale, improve drug adherence and reduce cost-related behaviors like splitting medications or not filling a prescription at all.
• Other solutions to help lower prescription drug costs include reference pricing, biosimilar substitution and importation.

PREVENTING FRAUD
Fraud is a serious crime, and criminals increasingly target older adults for fraud using a variety of financial products and services such as gift cards, electronic payments, wire transfers, and cryptocurrencies. The Federal Bureau of Investigation found that in 2021, nearly 168,000 people age 50 and older reported being victims of fraud, losing a total of nearly $3 billion. The average amount lost by a person age 50 and older was over $17,500. According to a 2022 Federal Trade Commission (FTC) report, consumers lost more money in scams through cryptocurrency than any other payment method in recent years. The report found that consumers lost over $1 billion in crypto to scams since 2021 alone, with a median reported individual loss of $2,600.

Policy Priorities

• Policymakers should conduct robust oversight and enforcement related to scams and fraud.
• The legislature should also consider new protections on gift cards, cryptocurrencies, and electronic payments to prevent fraud. This includes refund or claw back provisions and posted awareness of the risks of using these payment methods.

HOUSING
Consistently one of the top concerns of North Dakotans as they age is the ability to remain independent in their homes and communities. People of all ages and ability levels need safe and affordable housing. According to the 2022 ND Statewide Housing Needs Assessment, in 2025, the aging forward of the baby boom cohort into the 65 and older category will translate into a heightened demand for housing suited to the needs of this large demographic. Statewide, those 65 and older are projected to increase from 118,853 in 2020 to 147,528 in 2025, a 24% increase.

Policy Priorities
Housing policies should include a focus on:

• Affordability and a range of housing types and sizes located throughout the community.
• Equitable, affordable, accessible housing available to all incomes, ages and abilities.
• Stability that allows older adults to decide when and under what circumstances to move.
• Access to convenient home-and-community base services that allow older adults to remain in their homes and communities as their needs change.

PROPERTY TAXES
The mainstay of local taxation is the tax on real estate, known as property tax. It is used to fund an array of critical state and local services, including older adult services like public transit, congregate and home delivered meals, and home health care. Property tax can be the most burdensome tax for individuals with low incomes as well as older people. It affects homeowners directly and renters indirectly. AARP believes property tax relief should be equitable, cost-effective, and targeted to homeowners with low and moderate incomes burdened by their property taxes.

Policy Priorities
Many states have implemented property tax relief programs including:

• Circuit breakers which relieve the property tax burden when it exceeds a certain share of the homeowner’s income. The threshold is typically equal to a percentage of income, and benefits residents with low and middle incomes.
• Homestead exemptions or homestead credits that reduce the amount of owner-occupied property value subject to taxation (or the amount of taxes owed).
• Reforming property tax foreclosure laws to protect vulnerable homeowners from losing their property in the tax foreclosure process.

Download our Legislative Priorities handout: 2025 Legislative Priorities One Pager 11_8_24.pdf