[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 17703]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          LONG-TERM CARE NEEDS

  Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, with the Thanksgiving holiday, November is 
a time for many of us to enjoy time with our loved ones and reflect on 
our futures together. With so many family gatherings, many retirement 
experts also encourage us to use this time to talk with family about 
our long-term needs.
  In addition to thinking about financial needs for retirement, it is 
important to also address our health as we age. According to the 
Department of Health and Human Services, an individual turning 65 today 
has almost a 70 percent chance of needing long-term care in the future, 
and 1 in 5 will need long-term care for more than 5 years. 
Conversations about long-term care and advance care planning can be 
understandably difficult, but they are necessary to ensure our loved 
ones receive the care they want if they are no longer able to speak for 
themselves.
  Thinking about long-term care means recognizing the invaluable--but 
too often unrecognized--contributions made daily by family caregivers. 
Over 65 million Americans provide $450 billion worth of unpaid care 
every year, twice as much as homecare and nursing home services 
combined, and these numbers are increasing. More than one-half of 
family caregivers perform intensive activities such as bathing, 
feeding, and medication management. However, these services often come 
with a cost to the caregiver, such as financial burdens and a toll on 
physical and mental health.
  As the chairman of the Special Committee on Aging, I want to help 
middle-class families struggling to provide necessary care for their 
loved ones. This year, the committee has examined the importance of 
advance care planning as well as why a majority of Americans have done 
little to no planning for future long-term care needs. Next month, we 
will continue this series of hearings by looking at expert 
recommendations for reforming our long-term care system. Lastly, 
Senator Baldwin and I penned a column in recognition of the critical 
need to address the long-term care inadequacies in this country, and I 
ask unanimous consent that a copy be printed in the Record following my 
remarks.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in this effort. As our Nation 
continues to grow older, this problem will continue to grow worse, and 
the current system must change to meet these needs.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                     [From The Hill, Oct. 29, 2013]

       Time Has Come To Address the Challenges of Long-term Care

                (By Sens. Bill Nelson and Tammy Baldwin)

       As Congress embarks on a new venture to create a bipartisan 
     budget that would strengthen the economic security of 
     families and reduce the deficit without shortchanging our 
     future, it's our hope that both parties will also work 
     together to find viable ways to help families pay for long-
     term care.
       With the aging of the baby boomers, our country finds 
     itself in the midst of one of the most dramatic demographic 
     shifts in our history. And, as the aging population grows, so 
     too will the long-term-care needs of many in our society.
       Providing assistance to family members who can no longer 
     care for themselves can be taxing for all involved.
       In fact, the Senate Special Committee on Aging held a 
     hearing last month to examine a myriad of challenges facing 
     seniors today, and found many were unprepared.
       So, later this year, we're going to hold another hearing to 
     see what we can do to help. Some of the things we're going to 
     look at include the possibility of expanding Medicare to 
     cover long-term care, and other various ways to possibly make 
     private long-term care coverage more affordable for those who 
     need it.
       Currently, about 12 million Americans have long-term-care 
     needs--a number that's rising rapidly. While most receive 
     care from family and friends, an increasing number depend on 
     costly in-home care or end up in assisted living facilities 
     or nursing homes, where the median annual costs range from 
     $40,000 to $80,000, respectively.
       Most middle-class families in this country simply can't 
     afford the expense of providing long-term care for a loved 
     one. And there are few viable options available to help them 
     pay for the services they would need. Medicare and most 
     traditional health insurance plans don't cover long-term-care 
     expenses. And while private long-term-care insurance is 
     available, most people don't have it because they see long-
     term care as something they'll never need.
       In fact, according to a recent study from the SCAN 
     Foundation, most Americans have done little or nothing to 
     prepare for their future long-term-care needs. This is 
     despite research that shows that 70 percent of people 65 or 
     older will eventually need some form of assistance.
       Clearly, our current system of providing long-term care is 
     unsustainable. And, that's why we shouldn't wait much longer 
     to address it.

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