Harris Proposes that Medicar cover Long-Term Care at Home

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In home care should only be provided for people who live in housing below 75% of median price.

Oops, I meant the reverse. 150% of median price.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/10/08/kamala-harris-howard-stern-colbert-view/

Probably a long shot, but would be so helpful for many.

Does Biden agree?

Why does the candidate for President's proposal matter? What does Congress think of it?

Proposing money but not commiting is a cheap empty tactic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In home care should only be provided for people who live in housing below 75% of median price.

Oops, I meant the reverse. 150% of median price.

So you think it should provide care for rich people?

[Anonymous]

How will immigration affect this? Will high-income immigrants bring their parents over for care? Will low-imcome immigrants flock here for care?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How will immigration affect this? Will high-income immigrants bring their parents over for care? Will low-imcome immigrants flock here for care?

Good questions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How will immigration affect this? Will high-income immigrants bring their parents over for care? Will low-imcome immigrants flock here for care?

I hire a LOT of home health aides.. they are all low income immigrants.

They will mostly come here to provide the care, not to receive the care. To receive care paid for by Medicare, you have to have worked and paid medicare taxes for about 10 years, generally speaking.

You can't just bring your parents over from another country and have them qualify for Medicare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In home care should only be provided for people who live in housing below 75% of median price.

Why?

What about the rest of what Medicare pays for?

Once you turn 65 and go on Medicare -- should it only cover your surgery and hospitalization if you live in a cheaper house than other people?

[Anonymous]

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?

[Anonymous]

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?

I mentioned this earlier--or it may have been in a similar thread that's going on in the Politics forum.
The goal is to keep elderly people in their home.
Harris also wants first time home buyers to buy homes.

Where are these homes going to come from?

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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?

I mentioned this earlier--or it may have been in a similar thread that's going on in the Politics forum.
The goal is to keep elderly people in their home.
Harris also wants first time home buyers to buy homes.

Where are these homes going to come from?

Make it illegal for investment companies to buy up all the housing stock.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How will immigration affect this? Will high-income immigrants bring their parents over for care? Will low-imcome immigrants flock here for care?

I hire a LOT of home health aides.. they are all low income immigrants.

They will mostly come here to provide the care, not to receive the care. To receive care paid for by Medicare, you have to have worked and paid medicare taxes for about 10 years, generally speaking.

You can't just bring your parents over from another country and have them qualify for Medicare.

Exactly. I think it’s a good idea

[Anonymous]

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?

[Anonymous]

This is a great idea in theory, but how are we going to pay for it?

[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?

No but reality is that it won’t be 24/7 care. Will it happen? Not with a Republican Senate, but I for one would like to hear more about the proposal. Maybe it needs a lot of tweaking and maybe it won’t happen immediately but let’s start the conversation. I give credit to the Bush administration for creating the Medicare prescription drug program. It isn’t perfect but it has helped a lot of seniors and now the Biden administration is closing some of the loopholes and making drugs more affordable.

So let’s talk about long term care. Perhaps it could even be some sort of insurance program that is subsidized. It’s basically now impossible to buy LTC insurance.