How the Government Shutdown Affects Older Persons

Now that the shutdown has gone on for a little while, some of us may have seen by now a number of “How does the government shutdown affect ______?” articles. But given Gray Panthers’ history of advocating for the rights of older persons, we want to focus on how the shutdown affects older persons.

Here are a few notable ways in which the shutdown affects older persons:

Financial Challenges for Federally Funded Health Centers

Federal dollars is (obviously) a major source of revenue for these health centers. But with the shutdown, that money simply isn’t coming in.

This leaves such health centers–which serve a lot of low-income people, including lower-income seniors–in financial peril. And some may even be in danger of closing.

This has a ripple effect on the health care “system”--if you want to even call it a system–for hospitals could then find themselves being even more overwhelmed than before.(1)

The Loss of COVID-Era Medicare Programs

Those two programs are telehealth benefits and in-home hospital visits. That’s because authorization for both ended at the end of September. 

What does this mean if you’re on Medicare? No telehealth services for many seniors. One exception, with some strings attached, is those living in rural areas. (This PBS article notes what those strings are.)

Some Social Security Services Possibly Disrupted

Those who receive Social Security will still receive their checks. But there are certain services that may be in peril during the shutdown. 

Per an email that Max Richtman, CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security & Medicare, sent to CBS News: "The system hasn't missed a payment in its entire 90-year history and won't start now. But customer service at the Social Security Administration (SSA) may be disrupted, including benefit verifications, earnings record corrections and updates, overpayments processing, and replacing Medicare cards."

This, for the record, is in line with the contingency plan the Social Security Administration themselves published on September 24th ahead of the shutdown. (2)

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So, what now?

For the government to reopen, there needs to be a budget bill that gets 60 votes in the United States Senate, as 60 votes is what is needed to pass said bill. As the current split is 53-47 in favor of the Republican Party, the two parties are going to need to find something that is increasingly rare these days: bipartisanship. Let’s just hope that it’s a bipartisanship that shows respect for the services that so many Americans rely on.

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(1)  https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/community-health-centers-government-shutdown-state-cuts-funding-risks/ 

(2) https://www.cbsnews.com/news/social-security-government-shutdown-2025-impact-benefits-checks-services/