[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 34 (Wednesday, March 14, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H909-H910]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, as the Republican co-chair of the 
Congressional Women's Caucus, I am very excited about what the 107th 
Congress promises for women, particularly in the area of health care. 
There have been great strides made in recent years in the area of 
women's health care, and I think that since the month of March is 
Women's History Month, I would like to thank my colleagues from the 
Congressional Women's Caucus who are taking the time to come down here 
this afternoon out of their busy schedules to discuss women's health 
issues.

                              {time}  1315

  I think that a number of women will be discussing issues from eating 
disorders, breast cancer, and long-term care; and these are issues that 
affect all women, no matter their age, race, nationality or sexual 
orientation. I commend my colleagues for continually taking the lead on 
these important issues and look forward to continuing our work in the 
107th Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to, I think, look at one issue, but I 
cannot begin really without talking about that, for the first time in 
history, that the House Subcommittee on Health will be chaired by a 
women, the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Mrs. Johnson), our friend and 
colleague. That is very fitting when the issues that affect women have 
become so dramatic.
  One of the issues that I would like to address in the area of women's 
health care that I care deeply about is long-term care. I think long-
term care has long been called the sleeping giant of all U.S. social 
problems. This issue affects all Americans but particularly women for 
three reasons: Number 1 is we live longer; number 2, we are the ones 
who take care of our aging relatives; and, number 3, we are much more 
likely to retire with little or no pension savings. That makes us 
especially vulnerable to the high costs of long-term care.
  The Census Bureau estimates that there are currently 34 million 
Americans aged 65 and older living in the United States. By 2030, that 
number is expected to more than double to 70 million, some 20 percent 
of the population. The fact that Americans are living longer and living 
more healthy lifestyles than at any time before should be celebrated. 
However, it does present a challenging public policy problem.
  These numbers demonstrate the demand for long-term home or 
institutional care is going to grow exponentially. Neither the public 
nor the private sectors have adequately planned to meet the 
overwhelming future demand for long-term care services.
  We must increase the public's awareness of the importance of 
preparing for long-term needs, as well as encourage individuals to save 
for their future, to invest in IRAs and mutual funds and to purchase 
long-term care insurance policies.
  In addition, we must encourage employers to provide long-term care 
coverage as part of their employee benefit plans.
  This is why I plan to reintroduce legislation that I introduced in 
the 106th Congress, the Live Long and Prosper Act, Long-term Care and 
Retirement Enhancement to address this issue.
  There are several ways my bill addresses the problem facing long-term 
care.
  First, my bill provides an above-the-line deduction, starting with 60 
percent in 2002 and rising to 100 percent in 2006, for the cost of 
long-term care insurance premiums paid during a given year for the 
taxpayer, his or her spouse and dependents.
  These provisions will make long-term care insurance more financially 
accessible, particularly for the young and those with lower incomes.
  Second, my bill gives employers the option of providing long-term 
care insurance coverage as part of a cafeteria plan, in which employees 
are able to choose from a variety of medical care or other benefits, or 
flexible spending account, in which employees set aside pretax dollars 
for copayments or deductibles on insurance plans.
  Third, my bill provides an additional personal exemption to the 
estimated 7 million Americans who provide custodial care to an elderly 
relative living in their home. The exemption was valued at $2,750 in 
1999 and should help to alleviate some of the financial burdens 
involved with caring for a loved one at home.

[[Page H910]]

  These are just a few of the provisions of the bill, and they 
represent a market-based solution to an ever-growing demand for long-
term care services and financing. But the financial incentives alone 
will not be enough to address the potential long-term care delivery and 
financial crisis.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to take a look at that bill 
and to look at the women's health issues that are involved therein.

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