What Do The Presidential Candidates Have to Say About America's Underfunded Long-term Care Services?

The experts on tracking America's population trends tell us that the USA's elderly population will grow by at least 5 million in the next 4 years. As we have documented here extensively, an increasing mumber of American families are struggling to pay for the long-term care of an aging relative. Most care provided to frail elders today is not in a nursing home-in fact barely 5 percent of elders were in nursing homes last year. Most families are assuming that care themselves, while trying to maintain a job and put aside money for their own retirement.

So let's take a look at how the remaining 4 presidential candidates, Senators Clinton, McCain and Obama and former Arkansas govenor Huckabee have all made some comments about this issue but they are mostly vague promises with few specifics and no clear proposals to pay for care with the exception of Senator Clinton.

The Clinton campaign provides the most detailed proposals regarding long-term care. She has laid out a $5 billion-a-year agenda to make care better and more affordable for both caregivers and patients. The plan's twin centerpieces are a proposed $3,000 tax credit for family caregivers and a long-term care insurance tax credit that would cover 75 percent of long-term care insurance premiums up to $1,500 a year for qualified policies.

To improve accountability and oversight of long-term care facilities, Sen. Clinton wants to triple federal funding for state ombudsman programs to $50 million a year. She would also create a national system of background checks for long-term care workers.

For more on Sen. Clinton's proposals on long-term care, go to: www.hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=4592

Her opponent in the Democratic primaries, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois has only offered a vague platitude on the issue which I found at his web site. Here is what he says" “As president, Obama will work to give seniors choices about their care, consistent with their needs, and not biased towards institutional care. He will work to reform the financing of long term care to protect seniors and families. He will work to improve the quality of elder care, including by training more nurses and health care workers.” http://www.barackobama.com/issues/socialsecurity/

Former Arkansas Gov. Huckabee told the AARP that he is proud that his state was the first to create a pilot program, Project IndepChoices, that reimburses relatives who are able to keep their elderly loved ones at home. "Our plan was very successful. I'd like to see it go national," he told AARP quoted him as saying. I could not find anything specific about long-term care at Huckabee's website although he does have
some proposals on health care in general www.mikehuckabee.com

Sen. McCain, who at this writing has all but locked up the Republican nomination, has focused much of his health care platform around the needs of veterans, but his Web site says nothing about his plans for long-term care.

When he has discussed helping those who are being financially devastated by the costs of health care in general, McCain suggests that the government offer tax credits or other financial incentives.

For more on Sen. McCain's proposals on health care in general www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/