On October 8, Vice President Kamala Harris proposed a new Medicare at Home benefit to help families with care needs. If elected in the next presidential election, Harris seeks to expand Medicare. “Nearly a quarter of American adults are part of the sandwich generation who provide intergenerational care to both their children and their parents or loved ones with disabilities,” the Harris-Walz team said in a fact sheet.
Under the proposed plan, Medicare will cover home care for seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare. Additionally, vision and hearing benefits will be provided so seniors can live independently for longer.
According to the fact sheet, the “new benefits will be paid in full and extend the life of the Medicare Trust Fund by expanding Medicare drug price negotiations, increasing the discounts drug manufacturers cover for certain brand-name drugs in Medicare and address Medicare fraud. .”
On Tuesday, Harris appeared on ABC’s “The View” and shared how she cared for her mother when she was dying. She discussed the challenges of finding affordable home care for family members.
“Harris’ proposal will certainly alleviate the tremendous burden felt by the more than 7 million Americans who are confined or confined to their homes due to chronic or serious illness, injury or medical complexity,” said Julie Sacks, president and chief operating officer. . Officer of Home Centered Care Institute (HCCI), a nonprofit organization focused on promoting home-based primary care, in a statement. “Increased access to home care is also a great support for caregivers and allows our seniors to remain at home, with their families, where they prefer to be.”
