Long Term Health Care I

Deb Whitman, staff director of the Senate Special Committee on Aging and an adviser to the Obama for President campaign, told the symposium that the Democratic candidate would:

Support prevention efforts to help avoid chronic diseases
Strengthen Medicare and Medicaid
Amend the Family Medical Leave Act, which allows for 10 weeks of leave to care for an ailing family member, to apply to companies with 25 or more employees, rather than the current 50 employees
Fully fund the Respite Care Program, which gives federal dollars to states to run short-term care programs to give primary caregivers a break from their daily routine
Increase funding for loan repayment to attract and retain more home healthcare workers
Push for legislation that would require nursing homes to report staffing levels
Double funding for the NIH for research into treatments and cures for old-age diseases such as Alzheimer's
Jay Khosla, healthcare policy adviser to the John McCain for President campaign and former health counsel for then-Senate majority leader Bill Frist, M.D., said the GOP candidate would:

Allow for the purchase of long-term life insurance through health savings accounts
Encourage young people to purchase long-term care insurance
Promote scholarship programs for those pursuing careers as caregivers
Make the purchase of long-term care a tax-deductible expense
Other panelists agreed that individuals must take personal responsibility for the eventuality of paying for long-term care for themselves or a loved one.

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