Kamala Harris on Tuesday proposed new campaign policies to help older Americans “age in place,” a popular concept that allows older Americans to receive care at home through Medicare.
The vice president and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate spoke on ABC's “The View” and said the proposal would allow families to keep their loved ones at home rather than in a nursing facility, and to protect their loved ones from the complications associated with institutional care. He said the costs could be avoided.
The proposal would target home health aides, among other services, and provide relief to families juggling career and caregiving responsibilities.
“It's about that individual's dignity, it's about that individual's independence,” Harris said. “So while human technology has diminished to some extent, human dignity and pride have not diminished. They want to be in their own homes.”
Harris emphasized that the proposal would benefit the “sandwich generation,” adults who are raising children and caring for aging parents. According to election campaign data, there is also a high percentage of people in this group who have not yet decided where to vote.
The issue is personal for Harris, who often talks about caring for her mother, Shyamala, who died of breast cancer.
The weight of unpaid caregiving has been a hot topic in the recent presidential election, with President Joe Biden mentioning the issue in his 2020 platform. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 37 million people provide unpaid care to older adults.
The proposal targets swing states and undecided voters.
More than 30% of older women in Michigan, North Carolina, and Georgia identify as family caregivers, according to an AARP battleground poll. The same poll found that the average caregiver spends at least 20 hours a week caring for a family member.
That's because Medicare only covers home health care in very limited circumstances. Many people who need home care feel they need to “deplete” their assets in order to qualify for Medicaid, which covers long-term care, including home care.
“In order to qualify for Medicaid assistance, they have to spend everything and it feels like they're basically going bankrupt,” Harris said Tuesday.
Government officials said the benefits will be paid for by expanding Medicare's drug price negotiation program and overhauling pharmacy benefit managers. But creating new Medicare benefits and expanding the drug price negotiation program would require approval from Congress. On Tuesday, Harris argued that these savings would be successfully applied to such benefits.
Biden previously proposed spending $400 billion to expand Medicaid coverage for home and community-based services as part of his 2021 domestic policy package.
Parts of this policy ultimately became law, but spending on home and community services was cut due to concerns from some moderate Democrats about the spending, freeing up federal funds to address the long-term care crisis. It shows how difficult it is to do so.
Former President Donald Trump has not announced a comprehensive long-term care plan, but in response to Harris' announcement, his campaign emphasized the 2024 Republican platform, saying that the Republican Party would “prevent seniors from staying in their homes. “We will support the policies that support the government,” and “change the policies.” By restoring resources to home-based elderly care, we can reverse the disincentives that lead to caregiver shortages. ”
The platform also approves tax credits for unpaid family caregivers.
“President Trump will reverse the decline and secure a prosperous future for our great predecessors and all American families,” the campaign said in a news release.
