The organization also supports stronger penalties for caregivers who abuse, exploit seniors in their care.
Annapolis, Md (KM) AARP Maryland is taking a multi-faceted approach this year when it comes to supporting bills in the 2025 General Assembly Session. Tammy Bresnahan, the organization’s Senior Advocacy Director, says the top issues for AARP this year are “reforms to long term care; making sure and alerting the legislature to making energy bills. electric bills, gas bills affordable and reliable. And one of our premier issues is making sure that people can afford their prescription drug costs.”
Bresnahan says as in past years, making sure seniors can afford their prescription drugs has always been an important issue for AARP. “There’s a bill up there that would allow the Prescription Drug Affordability Board to increase what it does now to its upper payment limit,’ she says
“Currently, they’re only allowed to look at what drugs cost or the pricing for drugs from state and local governments,”: Bresnahan continues. “This bill would expand to all insurers, all carriers.”
There’s also a bill that covers vulnerable adults and senior citizens and their caregivers. “That would increase criminal penalties for someone that’s caring for a vulnerable adult,” says Bresnahan. “Maybe a family member; maybe a paid caregiver. Somebody that close to that person that abuses them or exploits them.”
The General Assembly has a bill before it to allow video recordings in nursing homes and assisted living centers. “The state has an abysmal record on their inspections in nursing homes,” says Bresnahan. “And we think that these videos in common areas are another set of eyes so that people are protected.”
AARP says it also supports stronger measures to protect seniors against scammers. Bresnahan says too often seniors are the victims of scammers, and they should be more skeptical of anything that sounds too good to be true. “Every year, there’s something new and this year, it’s crypto,” she says. “There’s ATM machines, there’s thousands of them in Maryland. And scammers call our members and say that there’s a problem with their bank account. That they could go exchange their money for crypto; and then, whamo, the money’s gone.:
Bresnahan says AARP is supporting stronger measures against these scammers and the crypto industry. “We’re trying to put in some more regulatory oversight, making sure that they’re licensed,:” she said. “It’s
always something out there. You’ve got to be one step ahead of these scammers.”
The Maryland General Assembly adjourns for the year on Monday, April 7th at midnight.
By Kevin McManus