September marks Healthy Aging Month, a reminder that it’s “Never Too Late to Reinvent Yourself.” It’s a theme meant to inspire older adults to embrace new possibilities—learning a skill, returning to the workforce, or building stronger social and community connections. Reinvention, however, requires stability, and the current policy environment is hindering that foundation for many older adults across the country. Healthy aging depends on secure health care, food, housing, and meaningful opportunity to engage in community life. Yet recent federal actions make these essential pillars more difficult to obtain. 

A System Working Against Healthy Aging 

The 2025 reconciliation bill slashes funding and adds new eligibility requirements, threatening coverage for millions of older adults. For many, losing Medicaid means losing access to preventative care, mental health services, and/or home- and community-based services that make independent living possible. In addition, Nutrition security is essential to staying healthy but sweeping cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program—alongside expanded work requirements up to age 65—are leaving many older adults facing food insecurity at the very moment they are trying to remain active and engaged.  

Lastly, the Senior Community Service Employment Program, the only federal job training initiative for low-income older adults 55+, has been stalled by a funding delay. Currently, $300M is frozen by the federal government, forcing thousands of older workers to be furloughed, stripping away a proven pathway for many older adults to achieve economic security to help them age with dignity. NAPCA alone has had to furlough 800 seniors nationwide. Among them is John Zhang, age 72, who worked as a multilingual help-line agent. Through an interpreter, he explained that without SCSEP wages he is now worried about paying rent, cutting back on meals, and struggling to find another job. “Not only for me, it’s for a lot of elders like me,” Zhang said. “We just really want to earn the money through our work.” NAPCA President and CEO Clayton Fong emphasized the stakes clearly: “This program is not one that should be cut. It serves as a bridge and a vital safety net for some of our most vulnerable elders, regardless of where they come from or what language they speak.” Ironically, the lack of SCSEP funding is forcing low-income older participants to turn to public benefits for support out of sheer desperation—which SCSEP was precisely designed to reduce their dependence on. 

A Call to Action 

Healthy aging month should be a time of inspiration. To pursue and achieve reinvention in our later years, Medicaid must cover, SNAP must nourish, and SCSEP must create pathways to economic security.

At the same time, we know that older adults are resilient. Across the country, we see older adults adapting to remarkable ways—neighbors forming peer support networks, older adults stepping into volunteer roles even when paid work is unavailable, and family caregivers pooling resources to ensure that their loved one can age with dignity.  

Healthy Aging Month should be a celebration of possibility. Let us make it one by ensuring every older adult has the supports they need to truly reinvent themselves.