During a presidential campaign period that was surprisingly dull in terms of health care plans, Vice President Kamala Harris recently disclosed a bold, and correspondingly costly, idea related to Medicare. Predicated chiefly on the provision of home health care, her strategy would involve Medicare funding for home health assistants to help elderly Americans with their daily living duties, such as mealtime and personal hygiene. This may be perceived as a last-ditch attempt by the Harris campaign to sway undecided voters with promises of extravagant national policy changes.
In her bid to woo older voters and those caring for them under strenuous economic conditions, Vice President Kamala Harris is capitalizing on Medicare’s considerable influence in the current American socio-political landscape. Its power is growing as enrollment rates have constantly risen over the past ten years, reaching about 70 million users today. Many of these participants subscribe to private Medicare Advantage plans, making the program a preferred option for presidential candidates.
According to the Harris campaign, a poll conducted by the University of Michigan in August reveals that more than one in four individuals aged 50 and above lend a hand in caring for a friend or family member with health-related issues. But, is the Medicare overhaul strategy Harris is peddling truly the best solution, or simply an expensive political pandering strategy?
Increasingly, more Americans are facing the burdensome responsibility of providing home care for aging family members. The need for home care is predicted to surge exponentially, with the entrance into retirement of the first generation of baby boomers. An expert from KFF, a non-profit health policy research organization, underscores the increasing demand for extensive services and support, considering the rise in life expectancy to mid 70s and 80s, and even 90s.
The initiative, proposed just under a month before the elections, seems to have been derived from Vice President Harris’ relatively new campaign that’s yet to reach its third month. It indicates that the policy agenda with her team is still under processing. Over the recent months, Medicare has been a significant part of the Harris campaign and the current administration.
Harris advocates for an expansion and speedy implementation of a new drug price negotiation program for beneficiaries. However, this plan belies the reality of the recently averted political crisis that could have resulted in increased prescription drug premiums in Medicare due to other healthcare reforms. Critics might argue this administration is using financial smoke and mirrors to keep premiums low.
The current administration tactfully used subsidies for insurers to balance these costs, a move that has drawn severe backlash from Republican lawmakers who have accused the administration of utilizing financial gimmicks to maintain low premiums. With her home healthcare proposal, Vice President Harris emphasized the opposing campaign’s alleged effort to cut Medicare costs as part of a larger intention to control safety net spending.
Republicans have consistently advocated for the modification of Medicare to curb its budget trajectory. Home care was highlighted in this year’s Republican Party’s convention platform. An opposition spokesperson stated this week that they ‘will take care of our seniors by redirecting resources back to at-home senior care, reversing disincentives causing care-worker shortages, and supporting unpaid family caregivers by reducing red tape.’
Comparatively, Kamala Harris’ proposal imitates Medicaid offerings. Medicaid does cover home care, though those in need often face long waiting times and some even exhaust their savings to qualify. Medicare beneficiaries under Harris’ plan would have their self-care capacity assessed by health professionals. Then, health aides would be allocated by the program.
Yet, experts in health policy warn that even if Medicare incorporates this service, the shortage of workers to cater to the Americans in the program may prove a significant flaw. The industry of home healthcare is suffering a shortage due to low wages. Aides, whom an hour’s service can cost approximately $30, are found to be more costly than assisted living care.
Any proposal introduced by the Vice President would still need to be approved by a likely divided Congress and financial support sourced. The campaign argues that the savings generated from the new program for negotiating Medicare drug prices by the current administration would finance it. However, it overlaps with common concern about the feasibility of her-centered solutions.
According to a paper by the Brookings Institution, quoted by the Harris campaign, it is estimated that a home health program targeting lower-middle-class Americans would incur annual costs of $40 billion. If the new service becomes more comprehensive, the costs could skyrocket. It brings society back to the age-old question: Are we willing to accrue massive debt in search of ideal solutions, or are more feasible strategies necessary?
Certain conservative health policy experts forewarn that this proposal could become a financial disaster. A faculty member at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School draws attention to the copious spending on prescription drugs by Medicare to highlight the potential for surging costs over time that could result from this proposal.
Inevitably, officials might find themselves compelled to tread alternative paths to counterbalance the new program. As such, it could lead to more political tug of war, significant upheaval in the healthcare sector, or further stretching thin of resources.
While it is understandable that the Harris campaign is vying for the significant demographic of older voters and families struggling with healthcare costs, the proposed strategy seems more like smoke-and-mirrors politics than based on practical and sustainable solutions.
Ensuring adequate home healthcare for America’s aging population is undoubtedly a critical issue. However, the feasibility and long-term implications of the Vice President’s proposal should be critically evaluated. Careful scrutiny may well reveal that this plan is an overreach packed with significant risks and potential drawbacks.
Harris’ Expensive Medicare Idea: Genuine Care or Political Pandering? appeared first on Real News Now.
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