New bipartisan legislation would require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop and maintain a coordinated national strategy to support the burgeoning number of family caregivers in America.
Co-sponsor Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, announced the bill Wednesday at the AARP National Caregiving Forum in Washington, D.C., where participants learned there are now more than 43 million family caregivers in the United States who are providing long-term care for adults age 50 or older.
“The American population is aging and the need for care and support is increasing,” Collins said. “Family caregivers are an invaluable resource to our aging society. Chances are that, sooner or later, we will all either be family caregivers or someone who needs one.”
The RAISE Family Caregivers Act would require DHHS to launch the National Family Caregiving Project. RAISE stands for “Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage.”
Collins said the project would leverage existing resources to promote innovation and promising practices and provide family caregivers with much-needed recognition and support. The bill calls for no additional funding.
In 2009, family caregivers provided an estimated $450 billion in uncompensated long-term care, a figure that was up from $375 billion just two years earlier, and more than double the value of all paid long-term care, according to the AARP. There are nearly 200,000 family caregivers in Maine providing about $2.3 billion worth of care annually.
Unpaid family caregivers will likely continue to be the largest source of long-term care services in the United States as its population age 65 and older is expected to double from 35.1 million in 2000 to 71.5 million in 2030, according to the Family Caregiver Alliance.
“This is an issue that will impact everyone and requires solutions that involve everyone,” said Nancy LeaMond, AARP executive vice president. “The support that family caregivers need will not come exclusively from one particular sector or political party; it will involve all of us.”
Collins introduced the legislation Wednesday with Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin. U.S. Representative Gregg Harper, R-Mississippi, is the bill’s lead sponsor in the House.
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