Research Briefs

Americans are living longer than previous generations, but many are entering older age with higher rates of chronic disease, obesity, and disability than the cohorts before them. Two decades of NIA-supported longitudinal research made it possible to track not only how long Americans live, but how much of that life is lived in good health.

More than half of people with Medicare are now enrolled in Medicare Advantage, up from about one in five two decades ago. A private-plan alternative to traditional Medicare, the newer program is increasingly important to older adults’ ability to find and afford care and services.

Medicaid cuts enacted under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, Pub. L. 119-21)—many of which are being phased in over time—could affect about 1 million older adults enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid who need help with basic activities such as bathing, dressing, and eating.