quote:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris is proposing to provide federal funding to cover home care costs for older Americans, aiming to help the “ sandwich generation " of adults caring for aging parents while raising their children at the same time.

Appearing Tuesday on ABC’s “The View,” Harris talked about taking care of her mother when she was dying and personally experiencing the challenges many families face when seeking affordable in-home care for their aging loved ones.

She promised that if, elected in November, she will seek to expand Medicare, the federal health insurance program for older Americans, so that it covers long-term care and includes services like in-home aides. Harris said aides could help seniors do things as simple as preparing meals or putting on sweaters because it is “about dignity for that individual. It’s about independence for that individual.”

quote:

Originally posted by RolandtheHeadless:
Sounds costly. Do you have any idea how expensive longterm care is, currently?

quote:

Harris would likely have to work with Congress to achieve key parts of her proposal. Harris’ campaign points to past, similar proposals projected to cost $40 billion annually, but says much of that can be offset by savings achieved through efforts begun by the Biden administration to expand Medicare’s ability to negotiation prices with major drug manufacturers.

quote:

Originally posted by MtElkHunter:
I am very familiar with this issue having gone through it with several family members. Home care is expense but still WAY cheaper than going into a nursing home.

Real world numbers: Home care cost in my area are about 2-4K per month, nusing homes 8-12K per month, specialized nursing care units (dementia etc.) 12-20K per month.

The longer a person can say at home the better, a normal person cannot afford most of this so unless some program (Medicare, Medicaid etc.) picks up the bulk of the cost it is not feasible for most people.