Harris proposes expanding Medicare to cover long-term care at home

• Vice President Kamala Harris announced a new proposal on Tuesday that would require Medicare to cover the costs of long-term care at home.
• "It's been a long time – decades – since a presidential candidate put forward a Medicare proposal to help middle income families cope with the crushing cost of home care," said Tricia Neuman, senior vice president and executive director for Program on Medicare Policy at KFF.

Vice President Kamala Harris announced a new proposal on Tuesday that would require Medicare to cover the costs of long-term care at home.

That coverage could potentially allow millions of seniors and people with disabilities to get care at home rather than in a nursing facility.

More than 37 million people, or 14% of the adult population, provide some form of unpaid eldercare in the United States, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The majority of these caretakers, around 59%, are women.

Harris' universal in-home care proposal would require congressional action. But it could offer unprecedented relief to Americans who currently act as caregivers for family members. The vice president pointed out that her plan could be especially beneficial to those caring for both their aging parents and their children.

"It's just almost impossible to do it all, especially if [caregivers] work," Harris said on ABC's "The View," where she first laid out her plan. "We're finding so many are them having to leave their jobs, which means losing a source of income, not to mention the emotional stress."

Tricia Neuman, senior vice president and executive director of the Program on Medicare Policy at KFF, said Harris' proposal was historic.

"It's been a long time – decades – since a presidential candidate put forward a