Millions of low-income seniors are about to fall through the cracks — not because they don’t qualify for help, but because Congress just made it harder for them to get it.

The federal budget law signed by President Trump in 2025 suspended a critical rule change that would have made it easier for older Americans to access Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs) and the Low Income Subsidy (LIS) for prescription drugs. These programs can save seniors up to $8,400 a year in premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket costs. Yet nearly 6 million eligible seniors aren’t enrolled, largely due to complex paperwork and lack of awareness.

The now-suspended rule would have simplified enrollment by allowing states to automatically enroll qualified individuals using information already available through other federal programs. It was a simple, cost-effective fix. And now it’s blocked — until at least 2034.

That’s ten more years of red tape. Ten more years of missed benefits. Ten more years of poor seniors forced to choose between food, medicine, and rent.

We, the undersigned, are calling on Congress and President Trump to:

• Restore the auto-enrollment rule for Medicare Savings Programs and LIS immediately
• Protect state-level efforts to expand access to these programs — not penalize them through reduced Medicaid funding
• Ensure low-income seniors aren’t used to balance the federal budget at the expense of their health and dignity
   

This rollback comes as poverty among seniors is rising — up to 15% in 2024, the highest of any age group. Medicare costs are also increasing sharply, with Part B premiums projected to rise over 11%, further eating into already-limited Social Security checks.

For most wealthy Americans, these costs are manageable. But for seniors living on less than $25,000 a year — many of them women, people of color, and lifelong workers — this is a crisis.