The Myriad Benefits Available to Older Persons

Kaiser Health News published a recent article that focused on the various programs and benefits for older persons that they may not know about.  While Inflation Takes a Toll on Seniors, Billions of Dollars in Benefits Go Unused offers these examples to make the point:

A few examples: Nearly 14 million adults age 60 or older qualify for aid from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (also known as food stamps) but haven’t signed up, according to recent estimates. Also, more than 3 million adults 65 or older are eligible but not enrolled in Medicare Savings Programs, which pay for Medicare premiums and cost sharing. And 30% to 45% of seniors may be missing out on help from the Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy program, which covers plan premiums and cost sharing and lowers the cost of prescription drugs.

And yes, the article acknowledges that for many programs, eligibility is based on a means test, while for others, it's just a priority.  The article offers tips to find out if an older person is eligible for any of these programs, starting with the local Area Agency on Aging.