As the aging population of the United States continues to increase, age-related policies have come under intense scrutiny and have sparked heated debates. Demographic, economic, and political trends have transformed the understanding of older people's role in America's public policy. The New Politics of Old Age Policy offers a variety of perspectives on these policy issues - particularly the relative merits of using chronological age to determine eligibility for government programs. The chapters address theoretical approaches to age-based policy; population dynamics and how growing diversity within the older population may affect these policies; issues surrounding major age-based programs such as Social Security and Medicare; and the national, state, and local political issues associated with these policies.