Where to Age Gracefully

In March, the Institute released the latest update of one of its widely watched indexes. Best Cities for Successful Aging ranks 381 U.S. metropolitan areas on how well they serve the needs of America’s rapidly growing population of older adults. The index is not another guide to the best places to retire. Rather, it provides 83 indicators that determine overall quality of life for seniors. Among the key factors often ignored in assaying the attractions of metros: employment opportunities and level of community engagement.

“Cities are on the front lines of the largest demographic shift in history,” says Paul Irving, executive director of the Institute’s Center for the Future of Aging, which released the report. “Older adults increasingly seek lifelong engagement, and expect their communities to support their changing needs.”

The top seven ranked towns: Provo (Utah), Madison (Wisconsin), Durham-Chapel Hill, Salt Lake City, Des Moines, Austin, and Omaha. Read the Institute’s report in its entirety at successfulaging.milkeninstitute.org.

Coming Together

In December, in one of the few instances of bipartisanship in 2016, President Obama signed into law the 21st Century Cures Act. The legislation provides $4.8 billion of new funding for the National Institutes of Health, along with additional funds for the Food and Drug Administration and a comprehensive suite of policy provisions to strengthen the biomedical innovation system. FasterCures, the Institute’s D.C.-based center dedicated to accelerating medical research, worked with leaders in Congress, the NIH and the FDA, reaching out to stakeholders throughout the medical research system to help translate the best ideas into law.

“This landmark legislation will accelerate cures for many life-threatening diseases and help advance precision medicine,” explained Institute chairman Mike Milken. “It ensures patient-focused drug development, adds rigor to clinical trials, expands compassionate use of new drugs by dying patients, speeds the review of vaccines, addresses antibiotic resistance, responds to the opioid crisis and strengthens the research infrastructure.”

Financial Deregulation in the Time of Trump

With a new president in the White House, the financial community is assessing the prospects for significant changes — even a complete overhaul — of financial regulation. In a recent paper, Financial Deregulation: Repeal or Adjust? Institute researchers Claude Lopez and Elham Saeidinezhad provide a timely overview of the landscape of agencies that compose the U.S. financial regulatory structure. Available on the Institute website, the report is an eye-opener for anyone trying to handicap the regulatory horserace in D.C.