Halting HCBS Support Is ‘Like Bringing an Umbrella to a Hurricane,’ Advocates Argue in Senate Hearing

Home Health Care News / By Joyce Famakinwa
 
On Wednesday, the Senate Special Committee on Aging Chairman, Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), held a hearing to highlight the importance of home- and community-based services (HCBS) for seniors and people with disabilities.
 
He also attempted to explain the broader impact that investment in the sector can have.
 
“Underinvestment in caregiving affects all of us — it even hurts our economy,” Casey said during the hearing. “Without access to this care, many people, usually women, are forced to leave the workforce to care for a loved one. An investment in home-based care is an investment in families and our nation. It will help people get back to work. It gives families … peace of mind.”
 
Building on Casey’s point about informal caregivers often having to step in to care for seniors, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) — ranking member of the Special Committee on Aging — noted that these individuals provide over 75% of caregiving in the U.S.
 
In his opening remarks, Casey also exlpained that HCBS investment would address the issue of caregivers, the majority of whom are women of color, being underpaid.
 
“These workers provide essential care,” he said. “An investment in home- and community-based services would give these hard-working women, or I should say mostly women, the opportunity to better support their own families and their communities.”
 
Indeed, across the U.S., the median wage for caregivers is lower than that of other jobs with similar entry-level requirements, such as janitors, retail salespersons and customer service representatives.
 
In 2019, direct care workers earned a median hourly wage of $12.80, a small improvement from $12.61 in 2009, according to data from PHI.
 
In order to address the growing number of Americans who need assistance with daily activities, but who prefer to receive care in their home or community, continued bipartisan collaboration is necessary, according to Lisa Harootunian, associate director of the health program at the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC).

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