1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Older Americans Social Isolation and Loneliness Prevention Act . 2. Findings Congress makes the following findings: (1) Social isolation and loneliness are growing problems for older individuals. According to the AARP Foundation, 35 percent of individuals aged 45 and older feel lonely. According to the University of Michigan, for individuals aged 50 through 80, 34 percent feel a lack of companionship and 27 percent feel isolated from others. (2) Social isolation and loneliness are health risks for older individuals. According to researchers at Brigham Young University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, older individuals who are less socially connected than other older individuals are at a risk of increased mortality comparable with the risks of smoking, obesity, or air pollution. Social isolation and loneliness leads to negative mental and physical health outcomes, including increased premature death rates of up to 50 percent. (3) Social isolation and loneliness among older individuals have economic consequences for the United States. According to the AARP Foundation, Stanford, and Harvard, spending under the Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.) is $134 more per month for each socially isolated older individual than for each older individual that is not socially isolated. (4) To inform and support building resources and infrastructure to address social isolation and loneliness among older individuals, experts recommend a coordinated, broadly focused national campaign to raise public awareness of the prevalence of social isolation and loneliness as a public health issue through research and evaluation of efforts addressing social isolation and loneliness. (5) The Older Americans Act of 1965 ( 42 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.) is a clear vehicle that offers an opportunity to begin a national campaign to raise awareness of social isolation and loneliness among older individuals as a public health issue and help