by Roberto Muñiz, President & CEO of Parker Health Group
July 10, 2026
Every semester, I open my Aging and Public Policy course at Rutgers University with a simple question for my students: “Why did you take this class?”
Perhaps an honest student or two would admit they just need the credits.
I use the moment to remind them of something that changes the conversation entirely. These students, some of whom are still teenagers, are already aging. Every one of us is aging. And the policies we design today will determine the New Jersey that we live in tomorrow.
That is not an abstract observation. It is an urgent call to action, and one that Governor Mikie Sherrill and our state Legislature have a historic opportunity to answer.
New Jersey is at a demographic crossroads unlike any in its history.
According to Lifelong Strong New Jersey, a campaign that prioritizes policies to support our older population, from 2010 to 2021, our state’s population of older adults increased by 31%. Meanwhile, the total population increased by only 5%. By 2034, we will reach a tipping point where our residents over the age of 60 will be 20% of the population. At that point, seniors will outnumber the students sitting in our classrooms.
Not long after, residents over 60 will be 25% of New Jersey’s total population.
These are not statistics to be considered a problem that is far off in the future. They are a distinct wake-up call to our state’s policy makers.
Consider what is already happening. For eight consecutive years, New Jersey has led the nation in outbound migration. More than 35% of those leaving are aged 65 and older. Every departing older adult takes with them decades of work experience, wisdom, community leadership, family ties, and economic contribution.
This is both a social and a fiscal loss that New Jersey cannot sustain.
Why are older residents leaving our state? Because New Jersey is considered by many to be inaccessible and unaffordable for seniors. Housing costs are high. Property taxes are out of control, as we all know.
According to the state Department of Human Services, 52% of older residents in New Jersey fall below the income threshold needed to meet basic needs, even those who earn too much to qualify for public assistance. Many have worked their entire lives, paid off their mortgages, and saved for retirement. Now they face difficult decisions, like skipping a meal to help pay the rent, or not filling a prescription to afford their utility bill.
This is not what aging with dignity should look like in New Jersey.
Why New Jersey needs a Multisector Plan for Aging
The solution is not a patchwork of programs. It is a comprehensive, coordinated, statewide strategy called a Multisector Plan for Aging, or MPA.
Across the country, states are recognizing what New Jersey should embrace. Fourteen states have already adopted MPAs. These are state-led, cross-sector, multi-year blueprints that are built with input from public agencies, private partners, community leaders, and residents.
More than two-thirds of states already have MPAs in development. They are living roadmaps that align housing, healthcare, transportation, economic opportunity, and community design around the needs of our aging populations.
The Lifelong Strong New Jersey coalition is asking Governor Sherrill to establish New Jersey’s MPA. It would create a comprehensive plan that builds on existing age-friendly work, creates a cabinet-level position focused on aging to drive a whole-of-government approach, establishes a cross-sector advisory council representing business, healthcare, housing, transportation, and community voices, and sets clear timelines for completing the plan.
We are encouraged by the early engagement and momentum we are seeing with Governor Sherrill’s office and the recent introduction of legislation to establish a task force for developing a Multisector Plan for Aging. This is an important and meaningful step forward. However, this is not enough. A task force is just the beginning. We must move with urgency and commitment to developing and implementing a comprehensive, actionable plan that delivers real solutions for New Jersey residents, sooner rather than later.
An MPA is not just a plan for “older people.” Consider an MPA a plan for all of us — for caregivers managing dual responsibilities, for working families who will one day face these same realities, and even for my young Rutgers students who will inherit the communities we are building today.
What works for older adults works for everyone. Walkable neighborhoods benefit families with strollers and seniors with walkers alike, and reliable transit serves teenagers heading to their first jobs as well as retirees visiting their doctors.
Aging well should not be a matter of luck or privilege. It should be the result of thoughtful, inclusive policy. It’s also not a partisan issue. Aging transcends party lines, zip codes, and income levels. It is one of the few human experiences that we all share in common.
The question is whether New Jersey will build the systems to support aging residents — or continue to watch its older residents leave for states that are willing to do so. We should all be encouraging our new Governor to respond affirmatively – the time for New Jersey to adopt a Multisector Plan for Aging is now!
Roberto Muñiz is President & CEO of Parker Health Group and a lecturer at Rutgers University’s Bloustein School, where he teaches Aging and Public Policy. He is also the immediate past Chair of LeadingAge, the national organization representing more than 5,400 non-profit providers of aging services, and he remains an active board member. Roberto is a leading national voice in advocating for advancing care and services for older Americans.