Aging Today: Who Are We Creating Policy For?

July 23, 2025
10:15 am-

11:00 am

This opening session sets the stage with a data-driven look at today’s aging population. Experts will explore how the demographic landscape has evolved since the passage of landmark programs like Medicare and Medicaid, highlighting the changing landscape of aging experiences and shifting needs of older adults over the past six decades. The session will also spotlight subpopulations such as dually eligible individuals and rural residents and include a unique perspective from an older adult participating in a longitudinal research study—bringing the data to life through personal insight.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

  • Understand key demographic trends in the aging U.S. population and rethink out-of-date assumptions. 
  • Recognize that within the older adult population, there are rich and differing experiences, such as rural residents and dually eligible individuals.
  • Identify significant shifts in population health and needs since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid.
  • Use data and understanding to inform effective and sustainable policy solutions that support the well-being of older adults.

Speakers

  • Jeannie Fuglesten Biniek, MAE, Ph.D., Associate Director for the Program on Medicare Policy (Moderator)
  • Natalie Kean, J.D. Director, Federal Health Advocacy, Justice in Aging
  • Alana D. Knudson, Ph.D., EdM, Director, Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
  • “Sandra,” M.S., Research Participant, The People Say

Speakers

Alana D. Knudson, Ph.D., EdM

Director, NORC's Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
Alana Knudson, PhD, is a Senior Fellow in the Public Health Department at NORC at the University of Chicago and the Director of NORC’s Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis. She has over 30 years of experience implementing and directing public health programs, leading health services and policy research projects, and evaluating program effectiveness for projects funded by federal agencies and private foundations. Dr. Knudson currently serves as the Project Director for the ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center, funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, and the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model Evaluation, funded by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. She has experience in state and national public health, having worked at the North Dakota Department of Health and for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO). Dr. Knudson serves on the RUPRI Health Panel, the National Rural Health Resource Center Board of Directors, and is a member of the University of Maryland School of Public Health Community Advisory Council and the ETSU Center for Rural Health Research Advisory Board. Drawing on her roots growing up on a farm in North Dakota, she is committed to partnering with rural communities to identify evidence-based solutions that improve health outcomes and strengthen the economic vitality and well-being of rural areas.

Jeannie Fuglesten Biniek, B.A., M.A., Ph.D.

Associate Director, Program on Medicare Policy, KFF
Jeannie Fuglesten Biniek is an associate director for the Program on Medicare Policy at KFF. She focuses on providing analyses used to develop data-driven approaches to pressing national health policy issues, including the role of Medicare Advantage, the delivery and financing of care for people who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid, Medicare spending trends and efforts to reform provider payment. Her work has been published in Health Affairs and JAMA and cited by The Washington Post, The New York Times and USA Today, among others. Dr. Fuglesten Biniek has also testified on health policy issues before Congress. She previously worked as an economist on the staff of the U.S. Senate Budget Committee during the passage and initial implementation of the Affordable Care Act. She also held positions at the Health Care Cost Institute, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, NERA Economic Consulting and Bienestar Human Services. Dr. Fuglesten Biniek received a bachelor’s in economics from UCLA, a master’s in applied economics from Johns Hopkins University and a Ph.D. in health policy with a concentration in health economics from Harvard University.

“Sandra”, M.S.

Research Participant, The People Say
"Sandra" is a native New Yorker and retiree. She spends her time volunteering and advocating for older adults and other marginalized voices in her community.

Natalie Kean, J.D.

Director, Federal Health Advocacy
Natalie Kean leads Justice in Aging’s legislative and administrative health care advocacy in Washington, DC. Since joining Justice in Aging in 2017, Natalie has been advocating to strengthen health care programs that help older adults live at home and connected to their communities. Natalie holds a JD with a Certificate in Health Law from Saint Louis University and a BS in Economics from the University of Wyoming.
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