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Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday proposed expanding Medicare benefits to cover home health care for the first time, hoping to appeal to Americans caring for both children and elderly parents.
“There are a lot of people in our country who are right in between. They're taking care of their children, they're taking care of their elderly parents, and they do it all, especially if they're working. It's almost impossible,” Harris said on ABC's “The View.” This week you'll be putting her in front of a more targeted and friendlier interviewer.
Harris, who promised to improve long-term care on the campaign trail, said the proposal would help older Americans maintain their dignity and help families ease the emotional, financial and physical burdens of caring for them. Ta.
According to data from the Harris campaign, nearly a quarter of American adults belong to the “sandwich generation,” and this generation includes many who have not yet decided who to vote for. According to the campaign, more than 105 million Americans work as caregivers.
“We're finding that so many people are having to quit their jobs, which means losing a source of income, not to mention the emotional stress,” Harris said Tuesday.
The plan calls for Medicare enrollees to be independently evaluated to determine whether they are unable to cope with activities of daily living such as bathing, eating, and going to the bathroom, according to a fact sheet published by the campaign. . According to the fact sheet, the majority of older people can continue to live at home with an average of 20 hours or less of care per week from a caregiver.
According to the campaign, Medicare would provide coverage to low-income people, while higher-income seniors would have to pay for it.
However, home health care can be very expensive to cover. Recent estimates from the Brookings Institution show that programs that are “very conservatively designed” target people who are unable to perform two activities of daily living and require enrollees to pay a portion of the cost. , with a price tag of about $40 billion each. year.
The Harris campaign cited the Brookings study as the basis for the vice president's proposal.
To help pay for this, Harris said she would expand Medicare drug price negotiations. Expanding drug discounts from manufacturers, implementing international tax reforms, and other measures would also help pay for the program.
Harris also suggests that Medicare cover hearing aids, lab tests, eye exams, and new glasses and lenses. She also wants to stop states from seizing nursing homes to recover Medicaid funds spent on long-term care services.
The proposal aims to address the long-term care needs of seniors and people with disabilities, helping them stay in their own homes and avoid nursing homes, which can cost thousands of dollars a month. Medicare does not cover home health care except in very narrow circumstances. Therefore, most seniors must pay for services out-of-pocket or through Medicaid if they qualify.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, Americans who turn 65 in 2022 are estimated to spend an average of $120,900 on future long-term services and supports, with their families paying one-third of the cost.
According to KFF, a nonpartisan health policy research organization, home health aides cost about $69,000 annually for 40 hours of weekly care and more than $288,000 for 24-hour service, while the cost of a nursing home stay That could total between $104,000 and nearly $117,000 a year. organization. The typical Medicare beneficiary earns $36,000 per year.
Harris has previously talked about her experience caring for her late mother, Shyamala Gopalan, who died of colon cancer in 2009, as she appealed to voters for care. She brought it up again on Tuesday, sharing the stress of caring for an ill parent.
“That means trying to cook what they want to eat and what they can eat,” she said. “That means choosing clothes that are soft enough to not irritate their skin, right? It means trying to think of something funny to make them laugh or smile.”
According to a 2023 survey conducted by AARP and S&P Global, nearly two-thirds of caregivers report difficulty balancing career and caregiving responsibilities.
The survey found that just over a quarter of working carers have been forced to move from full-time to part-time or reduce their working hours. Approximately one in six people has stopped working for a period of time.
“Family caregivers are the backbone of our broken long-term care system, providing $600 billion in unpaid labor and costing taxpayers billions each year,” Nancy Leamond, director of public policy and engagement at AARP, said in a statement. You're saving dollars.” “It is long past time for lawmakers to enact common-sense solutions that support family caregivers and help older Americans live independently in the homes they want.”
Following Harris' announcement, Care in Action PAC, the political arm of a group that advocates for long-term care workers and providers, announced millions of dollars in additional investments across battleground states to support both long-term care workers and caregivers. He praised Harris' long-standing commitment to working adults. elderly parents and their children.
“This is the financial relief families are looking for,” said Hilary Hawley, the organization's executive director. Part of this funding will support a new digital advert featuring a woman who talks about how her mother used to comb her hair as a child and how she now has a responsibility to do the same for mothers and daughters. Become.
Harris' appearance on “The View” comes after Republicans have criticized her and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, for weeks over her avoidance of questions from Congress. The interview comes amid one of his few interviews with traditional and emerging media figures. media.
Later Tuesday, the vice president will appear on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” after giving an interview on “The Howard Stern Show.” Earlier this week, she spoke on the podcast “Call Her Daddy” and appeared on CBS' “60 Minutes” in a segment featuring Waltz. The Minnesota governor appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and “Fox News Sunday.”
This story has been updated with additional responses.
CNN's Eva Mackend contributed to this article.
