On Tuesday, President Joe Biden signed an executive order in the Rose Garden that delivers more than 50 instructions to almost every Cabinet-level agency in an effort to increase access to long-term care and child care.
According to the White House, Tuesday’s action intends to increase and ensure families, especially military families, have access to affordable child care.
The White House reported that the cost of child care has increased 26% over the last ten years and has more than doubled over the past 30. In the last ten years, the cost of caring for the elderly and those with disabilities has increased by 40%. The budget proposal also allocates $150 billion over the decade to improve and increase access to Medicaid which provides home and community-based services for seniors and disabled people.
Advocates nationwide have suggested that waiting lists be eliminated. For decades, the system has been underfunded. Nationwide, there are 820,000 disabled people on waiting lists for home and community-based services, but demand for such programs might be far greater.
In contrast to Republicans who want to cut spending, Biden has also called for more funding for the care economy in his 2024 budget proposal. More funding is crucial. According to AARP, more than one-fifth of Americans (21.3 percent) currently provide care. having spent the last 12 months providing care for an adult or child with a disability. Caregiving can have a financial impact as well. According to an AARP research headlined Caregiving Can Be Expensive – Even Financially, family caregivers spend more than $7,000 per year on expenses related to care.
The regulation also aims to enhance child care for children of government employees, particularly those from military families. Costs for families who receive Child Care and Development Block Grants are expected to be reduced. An improvement in home-based care would be beneficial for veterans. The Department of Health and Human Services would also raise salaries and benefits for teachers and staff members working with Head Start.
The cost of caregiving is exceptionally high, both monetarily and otherwise. Caregivers allow millions of disabled and elderly people to live in their communities. Care is also a vital part of people’s lives early on, and parents must have access to affordable care.
Sources:
AARP and National Alliance for Caregiving. Caregiving in the United States 2020. Washington, DC: AARP. May 2020. https://doi.org/10.26419/ppi.00103.001
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