The Older Americans Act: An Example of Bipartisan Public Policy

Abstract

From its conception during the 1961 White House Conference on Aging to its articulation in 1965, through the bipartisan legislative process of reauthorizations, amendments, continuing resolutions, congressional hearings, and public forums, the Older Americans Act (OAA) has remained resilient, buoyed by a national commitment to vulnerable older Americans and their caregivers. However, as national funding priorities shift, can the OAA continue its bipartisan success story? That remains an open question. Many years before the passage of the OAA on July 14, 1965, economic assistance, housing support, and basic health care for aging Americans were slow to emerge from family support and local charities (Achenbaum, 1978). As the first wave of immigrants aged in place after the turn of the twentieth century, they were negatively impacted by the Great Depression, lacking economic security and a health-care safety net. Social reformers and early advocates for vulnerable older adults attracted public attention and helped to influence public policy on behalf of older Americans living in poverty. The passage of the Social Security Act in 1935 represented the first major bipartisan effort to address the needs of vulnerable older Americans on a national level.