WASHINGTON, D.C. – Vice President Kamala Harris recently proposed a Medicare At Home Benefit during an appearance on The View, later backing up the announcement via an official Fact Sheet released by her campaign.
During the TV appearance, Harris talked about the quarter of American adults who are part of the so-called “sandwich generation”—defined as those who provide intergenerational care to their children and a parent or a loved one with disabilities.
“Under her plan, Medicare will cover home care for the first time ever for all of our nation’s seniors and those with disabilities on Medicare who need it, in addition to vision and hearing benefits to help seniors live independently for longer,” wrote campaign officials via fact sheet/press release. “These plans are common sense. They can help family caregivers work and save both families and the federal government money by allowing seniors to stay in their homes instead of being sent to nursing homes, which are often more expensive. Medicare at Home will also reduce hospitalizations.”
Harris and Walz claim in the release that they would “work closely with the private sector to promote innovative solutions and make health care easier to navigate…These new benefits will be fully paid for 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 addressing Medicare fraud. She will also crack down on pharmaceutical benefit managers (PBMs) to increase transparency, disclose more information on costs, and regulate other practices that raise prices. She will also implement international tax reform.”
As part of the plan, Medicare enrollees would be independently evaluated by physicians or nurses as to whether seniors are unable to independently perform activities of daily living like bathing, eating, and going to the bathroom. Aides will be designated by Medicare and can include any qualified home health aides, personal care attendants, or direct care workers recognized by their state.
