During his State of the Union address Tuesday night, the president alluded to the importance of passing the Build Back Better Act, which would infuse $150 billion in funding to Medicaid home care programs.
“My plan would cut the cost in half for most families and help parents, including millions of women, who left the workforce during the pandemic because they couldn’t afford child care, to be able to get back to work. Generating economic growth,” he said. “But my plan doesn’t stop there. It also includes home and long-term care. More affordable housing. Pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds.”
Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO of nonprofit aging services advocate LeadingAge, on Wednesday praised Biden’s nod to home care in the State of the Union.
“LeadingAge is gratified that President Biden’s State of the Union address shows that the administration is still prioritizing home care, long-term care and affordable housing for older adults, who have suffered 75% of all COVID deaths,” she said. “One of the starkest lessons of the pandemic is that this nation is not ready to serve its rapidly aging population. If the past two years have shown us anything, it is that our country’s aging services system is in desperate need of an overhaul.”
