Harris Proposes that Medicar cover Long-Term Care at Home

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have parents in assisted living because they couldn’t afford private care and needed more support, so I understand this issue well. I do love it, but I think this negatively impacts an entire demographic no one has mentioned - first-time home buyers.

If elders aren’t selling and moving in with relatives or ALFs, then we lose this housing option for young people.

Thoughts?

Having some help in paying for home health aides won't keep people living independently in their homes for too long.

Unless they have family living with them to do the bulk of the caregiving (evenings, weekends, and all oversight of the caregivers) people who live alone will soon need to sell and move anyhow.

Who this WILL help? People like me -- married to a disabled person. We're not going to be selling this house anytime soon. Even if my spouse goes into a VERY EXPENSIVE nursing facility, the rest of the family still needs a house to live in. They won't let me move into the nursing home with him for free, either.

Who will this help? Adult kids who move mom into the house with them, but who still need to work during the day. Medicare could help pay for a caregiver to come during the day. Adult children still provide the care evenings, weekends.

If a single, elderly widowed lady is living on her own in a biig, big house? Medicare paying for someone to come 25 hours a week, even 35 hours a week... only lets her stay there as long as she can handle evenings and weekends on her own. Then, don't worry, she'll sell so younger people can live in that house of hers.

Did Harris specifically say her intention is to only cover 25-35 hours per week?

The plan hasn't been fleshed out yet as far as I know, and you are aware that it is Congress that will actually pass a plan - they will need to discuss and argue it, right?

For SURE any plan that gets passed will have limits on the amount of care. Such limits will be called "population- based hours of service budget".

NO ONE is going to do something like manage to cover home health aides fo 40 hours a week so a family caregiver can hold down a fill time job. They are going to calculate the patient's needs and come up with some kind of monthly budget, and pay the home health agency that monthly amount, and the HHA is going to be as stingy as possible in actually sending any aides.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have parents in assisted living because they couldn’t afford private care and needed more support, so I understand this issue well. I do love it, but I think this negatively impacts an entire demographic no one has mentioned - first-time home buyers.

If elders aren’t selling and moving in with relatives or ALFs, then we lose this housing option for young people.

Thoughts?

Having some help in paying for home health aides won't keep people living independently in their homes for too long.

Unless they have family living with them to do the bulk of the caregiving (evenings, weekends, and all oversight of the caregivers) people who live alone will soon need to sell and move anyhow.

Who this WILL help? People like me -- married to a disabled person. We're not going to be selling this house anytime soon. Even if my spouse goes into a VERY EXPENSIVE nursing facility, the rest of the family still needs a house to live in. They won't let me move into the nursing home with him for free, either.

Who will this help? Adult kids who move mom into the house with them, but who still need to work during the day. Medicare could help pay for a caregiver to come during the day. Adult children still provide the care evenings, weekends.

If a single, elderly widowed lady is living on her own in a biig, big house? Medicare paying for someone to come 25 hours a week, even 35 hours a week... only lets her stay there as long as she can handle evenings and weekends on her own. Then, don't worry, she'll sell so younger people can live in that house of hers.

This is our case. We had to move my mom in with us. I had to quit my teaching job, which allows zero flexibility, to take care of her. She doesn’t need 24 hr care, but I am anchored to my house, and can only leave for a few hours at a time. If I could get some elder care help just four hours a day, it would be a huge help.

We are still have a teenager at home, and have had to miss several college events of our oldest kid. My mother’s social security check would not cover four hours of care per day. We are saving as much as we can for when she will have to be placed in a memory care facility. Any kind of help, would be welcomed! I would love to be able to go back to work. I am lucky my husband’s income can keep us all afloat, but with few to any luxuries.

Solidarity, sister!

I am also a teacher. I REFUSE to leave my job, though, because if I do, I become tethered to the house permanently.

Can you keep working, and pay for a home health aide from your salary? I mean, you are living without your salary now, aren't you? I'd rather see you stay in the teaching field, and contriute to your pension.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a waiver program for the poorest but the income care is limited to 10 hrs a week. Would be lovely to see Medicare cover more!

So let's get some things straight.

Medicare is for elderly.

Medicaid is for the poor and has asset qualifications.

Both programs are currently going insolvent in the next decade - even without this program. So no people did pay in all that much over the years.

Even if this passes good luck finding reputable people to be in house aids.

It is 100% possible to find good people to work as home health aides, however, you need to pay them well. Medicare wages will not be "good"wages, I am sure of that.

Now, if the government wanted to start actually creating government home health aid jobs, where they are working for the federal government and getting benefits, etc? A "Home Health Aide Career Corps"? That would be something good.

Impossible. Impossible without massive immigration, anyway (as a pp pointed out).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a waiver program for the poorest but the income care is limited to 10 hrs a week. Would be lovely to see Medicare cover more!

So let's get some things straight.

Medicare is for elderly.

Medicaid is for the poor and has asset qualifications.

Both programs are currently going insolvent in the next decade - even without this program. So no people did pay in all that much over the years.

Even if this passes good luck finding reputable people to be in house aids.

Impossible. Impossible without massive immigration, anyway (as a pp pointed out).

It is 100% possible to find good people to work as home health aides, however, you need to pay them well. Medicare wages will not be "good"wages, I am sure of that.

Now, if the government wanted to start actually creating government home health aid jobs, where they are working for the federal government and getting benefits, etc? A "Home Health Aide Career Corps"? That would be something good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a waiver program for the poorest but the income care is limited to 10 hrs a week. Would be lovely to see Medicare cover more!

So let's get some things straight.

Medicare is for elderly.

Medicaid is for the poor and has asset qualifications.

Both programs are currently going insolvent in the next decade - even without this program. So no people did pay in all that much over the years.

Even if this passes good luck finding reputable people to be in house aids.

Impossible. Impossible without massive immigration, anyway (as a pp pointed out).

It is 100% possible to find good people to work as home health aides, however, you need to pay them well. Medicare wages will not be "good"wages, I am sure of that.

Now, if the government wanted to start actually creating government home health aid jobs, where they are working for the federal government and getting benefits, etc? A "Home Health Aide Career Corps"? That would be something good.

Love that.

[Anonymous]

i remember the early days of ACA, during Clinton's presidency, where there were so many naysayers who said it was too hard, too big, would bankrupt our country, etc. It took years, but it finally happened, and we are better off with it.

This has the same energy. There is definitely something here to work with. The American Dream isn't to work your entire career only to have to sell your home and assets in order to live out your final years in a group home.

[Anonymous]

Come on, there isn’t a plan. Do you believe everything you hear on Colbert of all places?

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]No one would be happier than me if this aid came about.

However

We have such a large number of aging people about to need this care and it is SO expensive.

I don't understand how we could pay for it, as a nation.[/quote]

It could work if it were a priority

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vote buying--not sustainable.

It currently costs $30 per hour for home care.

It costs $262,800 for 24 hour care for a senior in home for 1 adult under care.

This is not fiscally supportable.

That is what nursing homes are for. You can get that care for $10-12K/month. Yes, not the same as 1-1 care, but fact is most cannot afford that. So most do nursing homes, with local family visiting as much as possible

Think outside the DCUM bubble. Most seniors can’t afford that.

This is not going to be a simple piece of legislation. Obviously there would need to be some serious hammering out. I do think it’s solvable and we can start with taxing billionaires. Healthcare in the US is a for profit industry. Estimating the cost of programs based on current care costs probably doesn’t yield a good estimate. Look at the salaries and bonuses paid to top Insurance execs and Eldercare company execs. They are enormous. Higher tax on UHNW and a system outside of the for profit industry are good places to start the framework.

We already pay a ton in taxes. We paid medicare taxes on all income. We have paid in 100x+ more than we will ever receive. I don't need to be taxed more.
I do agree we need to fix healthcare.
But I don't think it is the governments job to tax people in order to provide LTC for elderly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:i remember the early days of ACA, during Clinton's presidency, where there were so many naysayers who said it was too hard, too big, would bankrupt our country, etc. It took years, but it finally happened, and we are better off with it.

This has the same energy. There is definitely something here to work with. The American Dream isn't to work your entire career only to have to sell your home and assets in order to live out your final years in a group home.

ummm, why should I have to fund your retirement years thru my taxes?
Most of the time a group home/nursing home would be the most affordable choice. Otherwise your family can step up and manage your care in one of their homes (or your home I don't care where). But why do you get your dream of keeping your "home and assets" while I get taxed more to pay for it? If you want to stay in your home, you need to purchase LTC insurance, save enough, downsize to an affordable place that you can also afford to pay for the aides. Otherwise, yes it is more affordable to manage your care in a facility. If you don't want that (or your family doesn't want that), then they need to figure out how to pay for what they want/desire. It's not the govt job to provide you the dream retirement if you cannot afford it

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]No one would be happier than me if this aid came about.

However

We have such a large number of aging people about to need this care and it is SO expensive.

I don't understand how we could pay for it, as a nation.[/quote]

It could work if it were a priority [/quote]

Not govt job to provide in home care for the elderly, just because they don't want to go to a nursing home.

[Anonymous]

In home care costs a fraction of nursing home care.

[Anonymous]

How are WE going to pay for this? The country is bankrupt already, and our kids and grand kids will pay for all these. She is buying votes, and both Trump and Harris are buying votes.

[Anonymous]

Both Harris and Trump are using our money to buy our votes for them. Harris is worse, she spends and wastes more of our money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Come on, there isn’t a plan. Do you believe everything you hear on Colbert of all places?

I'm sure there are plans out there. I posted a link to one. Here it is again.

The trick is getting something passed by Congress.

The catch will be, usually Medicare isn't means tested, but I think this will have to be means tested. That will make it cheaper, but also much more complicated to pass, and to administer.

With Medicare - there is just one negotiated price for things. No matter what your retirement income or your assets.