KFF Examines VP Harris’ Proposed Home Care Benefit for Medicare

Nearly 15 million seniors would be eligible

View in browser NEW & NOTEWORTHY KFF Examines Vice President Harris' Proposal to Broaden Medicare Coverage of Home Care Services A new KFF analysis examines a recent proposal by Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, to create a new home care benefit in Medicare. Beneficiaries would be eligible if they are unable to perform activities of daily living such as bathing and eating or have a serious cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer's disease. The benefit is expected to provide roughly 20 hours of home care per week.   KFF estimates that 14.7 million Medicare beneficiaries would potentially be eligible for the new Medicare home care benefit, based on eligibility criteria used in similar, previous proposals. The actual number will depend on the policy details and not all people who are eligible will use care. Similar home care proposals have been estimated to cost about $40 billion per year, but many policy details would have to be worked out as the proposal winds its way through Congress, including questions about eligibility, benefit design, financing, and workforce shortages.   Medicare currently covers some home care, but only for people who need skilled services such as nursing or physical therapy, which means many people who need ongoing help are unable to use the Medicare benefit. Medicaid, funded jointly by the federal government and the states, pays for two-thirds of all spending on home care in the U.S. The rules are complex, and coverage is only for people with limited incomes and modest savings. As a result, many people who need home care and other long-term care services often pay substantial amounts out-of-pocket for services that far exceed the median income among Medicare beneficiaries ($36,000 per year). Read the brief CONTACT:   Chris Lee | 202.654.1403 | ChrisL@kff.org    KFF should be cited as a nonprofit health policy research, polling, and news organization.  Did someone forward this to you? Sign up for emails from KFF. This email was sent to albarkahslamet.ssss@blogger.com. Update your email preferences to choose the types of emails you receive. Or, permanently unsubscribe from all future emails. Need assistance? Email subscriptions@kff.org; do not reply to this email. The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news. KFF, 185 Berry Street, Suite 2000, San Francisco, CA 94107