Argentum made significant progress over the past year in advancing policy priorities to increase access and affordability of senior living and address our workforce challenges.
For these efforts, Argentum's advocacy once again earned national recognition, being named as one of The Hill newspaper's top lobbyists of 2025, the fifth consecutive year earning this award.
Most notable, Argentum secured a years-long policy objective in January with the signing into law of the Expanding Veterans’ Options for Long Term Care Act, part of the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act. This law establishes a three-year pilot program for veterans to choose assisted living for their care. Argentum began working with key lawmakers following a 2021 report from the VA on the projected long-term care needs of veterans and the need to expand options such as assisted living. Since enactment, Argentum has met with senior leadership at the Department of Veterans Affairs on implementing and expanding the scope of the pilot program.
In March, Argentum testified before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging on the critical role of senior living communities in promoting socialization and combatting isolation among seniors. This has been a major priority of Argentum to promote the socialization aspect of senior living, and a priority for Aging Committee Chairman, Senator Rick Scott, under the SENIOR Act he is leading.
As part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Argentum secured the association's primary legislative objective in preventing any direct cuts to Medicaid assisted living programs or reductions to the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage, despite significant threats and the major Medicaid reforms that were finalized in the package. And despite these headwinds, Argentum succeeded in advancing its priority to expand Medicaid programs for seniors who do not meet Medicaid institutional levels of care to receive Medicaid funding in assisted living communities.
Argentum also expanded its "I Love Senior Living" campaign to educate more policymakers on assisted living. First launched in 2024 in response to counter misleading national media reporting on the industry and subsequent Congressional hearings, the campaign has resulted in hundreds of visits of senior living communities from lawmakers to gain a first-hand perspective of the industry, including a record-breaking 130+ visits just in 2025. A tangible policy result of this campaign has been lawmakers recognizing the nuances of assisted living compared to other entities and purposefully excluding assisted living from major legislation to regulate private equity in health care. Argentum was instrumental in modifying language from a landmark 2024 bill to excluded assisted living, and as a result, subsequent legislation introduced in 2025 has mirrored this language to not include assisted living.
In November, Argentum renewed its Strategic Vision focused on four pillars: Tell Our Story, Increase Access, Develop Our People, and Measure What Matters. These imperatives will define the major policy aims of the association over the next three years, including legislative and administrative advocacy efforts to increase access and affordability of care and meet the workforce challenges in caring for our aging population.
