Harris proposes plan to have Medicare cover in-home care for seniors, give relief to family caregivers

Under Harris’ plan, Medicare would cover the cost of in-home health care for seniors enrolled in the program, after a medical provider has determined that they are in need of help performing daily tasks. Harris’ proposal would also provide coverage for vision and hearing benefits under Medicare.

Vice President Kamala Harris has released a plan to expand Medicare coverage to include long-term, in-home health care for seniors, a move that would allow many of them to age in their homes rather than in nursing homes, while also providing relief to their families.

Currently, Medicare does not cover long-term care services like home health aides, a fact that often surprises older adults. The program only covers specific services like physical therapy and medical supplies for a limited time following a hospital stay. 

This leads many Americans to turn to Medicaid for extended care, but they end up having to spend down their assets in order to qualify. And even when they do qualify, the in-home care coverage is extremely limited and individuals usually only receive full coverage for long-term care if they move into nursing homes.

Others pay upwards of $100,000 out-of-pocket for their own home aides or rely on unpaid family caregivers — which can take an enormous toll on those providing the care, as Harris herself has done in the past.

“I took care of my mother when she was sick. She was diagnosed with cancer, and so it is a personal experience for me as well as something I care deeply about,” Harris said during an appearance on ABC’s “The View” this week. 

“Taking care of a parent, that means trying to cook what they want to eat, what they can eat. It means picking out clothes for them, soft enough that it doesn’t irritate their skin. It means trying to think of something funny to make them laugh or smile. And there’s so much about that, that really is about giving folks dignity,” she added. 

Under Harris’ proposal, Medicare would cover an at-home health benefit for those seniors enrolled in the program, after a medical provider has determined that they are in need of help performing daily tasks, such as eating, bathing, or going to the bathroom. 

The vast majority of seniors could continue living at home with an average of 20 hours or less a week of care provided by an aide, according to a Harris campaign fact sheet.

Medicare would create a “sliding scale” for beneficiary cost-sharing for these long-term care services, and would partner with technology companies and other private-sector businesses to do so, according to the Harris campaign. 

Harris is also proposing that Medicare cover hearing aids and exams, eye exams, and new glasses and lenses, which would provide further support and savings to seniors.

These new benefits would be funded by “expanding Medicare drug price negotiations, increasing the discounts drug manufacturers cover for certain brand-name drugs in Medicare, and addressing Medicare fraud,” according to the campaign. 

Harris’ campaign also said Tuesday that she plans to “crack down on pharmaceutical benefit managers (PBMs) to increase transparency, disclose more information on costs, and regulate other practices that raise prices.”

If elected, Harris also plans to work with Congress to end Medicaid’s ability to seize the homes of recently deceased program enrollees.

A looming senior care crisis

Harris’ plan is particularly aimed at helping the “sandwich generation,” or adults who have a living parent who is at least 65 and are either raising a child under age 18 or supporting a grown child; they’re “sandwiched” between aging parents and kids. According to the Pew Research Center, more than half of Americans in their 40s fall into that category.

“There are so many people in our country who are right in the middle: they’re taking care of their kids and they’re taking care of their aging parents, and it’s just almost impossible to do it all, especially if they work,” Harris said on “The View.” “We’re finding that so many are then having to leave their job, which means losing a source of income, not to mention the emotional stress.”

People who need long-term care may have “declining skills to some extent, but their dignity, their pride, has not declined.” Harris added. “Plus, for their family to send them to a residential care facility, to hire somebody, is so expensive.”

Harris’ plan comes as the US faces a pressing senior care crisis. According to a new Moody’s analysis, 70% of older adults are projected to need long-term care services that are difficult to access, let alone pay for. Seniors also tend to prefer receiving care at home, and studies show that at-home care is more-effective than staying at a hospital for care.

“Improving and expanding Medicare is job one in order to fix our broken health care system,” Lisa Gilbert, Public Citizen co-president said in a statement. “Home health expansion through Medicare is a smart and desperately needed place to start. It would provide relief for families across America struggling to take care of their loved ones.”

“This important expansion would finally allow Medicare to cover crucial services where many beneficiaries would prefer to receive them—in the safety and comfort of their homes,” she added.

Harris’ plan would need congressional approval, and would likely only pass if Democrats flip control of the House and retain control of the Senate in the November elections.

Ai-jen Poo, the executive director of Caring Across Generations, praised Harris’ plan in an Instagram post and highlighted the response to her proposal from caregivers. 

Harris’ plan is “the future we can make possible in November,” Ai-jen Poo wrote.