AARP Lays Out State Legislative Goals for 2025

When Virginia lawmakers return to Richmond in January, AARP will have four main legislative goals in mind, and the person leading the advocacy effort at the capital says AARP members can collectively make an effective force when they become involved in the process.

AARP Virginia’s 2025 legislative priorities website: https://aarp.org/advocacyva

For the first time, AARP conducted two gatherings for Virginians age 50-plus in advance of the General Assembly session, in Roanoke and Fairfax, to share its objectives in person and urge their participation to help achieve them. Because less legislation is typically enacted in state government election years, AARP’s agenda will be more limited in 2025 than in some other years.

“We want to focus on issues that have a real impact on people’s lives,” said Jared Calfee, state advocacy director for AARP Virginia, “and maybe not the big headline-grabbing stuff that’s going to be harder to get through.”

AARP Virginia’s primary legislative goal is creating a state Prescription Drug Affordability Board. It would develop a mechanism allowing Virginia to lower the cost of some of the highest-priced drugs — some of them potentially life-saving — that many people need but cannot always afford. The General Assembly passed such legislation in 2024, but Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed it. Calfee said AARP hopes for a different outcome in 2025.

“We are going to keep pushing that rock until we get to the top of the mountain,” Calfee said.

Other key legislative priorities include:

• Require a yearly 30-day open enrollment period for Medicare supplement insurance commonly known as Medigap. This policy would give Virginians an annual opportunity at each birthday to make changes to their Medicare supplement coverage without medical underwriting.
  
• Support nursing home reforms. Citing chronic staffing shortages, Calfee said Virginia must support policy changes that bolster the long-term care workforce. In addition, he says, the state should adequately fund medical facility inspectors to hold nursing homes accountable for meeting care standards.
  
• Establish presumptive eligibility for Medicaid home and community-based services. Calfee said this process would allow people who are presumed eligible to begin receiving services immediately, and Virginia would bear the financial risk of coverage for them during the application window for full Medicaid coverage.

Calfee said the public’s efforts can help AARP succeed. It starts with numbers — there are 2.5 million Virginians age 50 or older and about 1million of them are AARP members. They consistently turn out in high percentages for elections, and lawmakers know it, Calfee said.

“They hold collective clout, and that makes legislators sit and pay attention to our issues. They care about what AARP cares about because they know our members vote, and they know they are engaged members of the community, and they know we represent a huge constituency here in Virginia. I encourage people to reach out to their legislators,” he said.

You can also sign up to receive AARP messages that provide legislative updates. To join the list, text “joinva” to 22777.

As for chances of success in achieving AARP Virginia’s 2025 legislative goals, Calfee is not about to make predictions. He said some efforts often take years to become successful, but at the same time, next year’s priorities are not the hot-button type that can fall victim to deep partisan divides.

“These are not the types of issues that are going to have Democrats and Republicans at each other’s throats, so hopefully some we can get everyone to agree on these goals that will have an impact for our members and the people we serve,” Calfee said.