Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolution

Floor Speech

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Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation with my colleague from Wisconsin, Senator BALDWIN, to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a national strategy to recognize and support the more than 40 million family caregivers in the United States.

The U.S. population is aging. According to Census Bureau projections, 21 percent of our population will be 65 and older by 2040, up from just under 14 percent in 2012.

Every day, 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 years old, and as many as 90 percent of them have one or more chronic health conditions. Americans 85 and older--our oldest old--are the fastest growing segment of our population. This is the population that is most at risk of multiple and interacting health problems that can lead to disability and the need for round-the-clock care.

At the very time that our population is aging and the need for care and support is increasing, declining birthrates mean that the population of professional and informal caregivers is shrinking. Today, there are seven potential caregivers for each person over 80 and at the highest risk of requiring long-term care. By 2030, there will be four, and by 2050, the number drops to fewer than three. As a consequence, in the future, more people will have to rely on fewer caregivers.

Families will likely continue to be the most important source of support for people with long-term care needs. We must do more to support the 43 million family caregivers in the United States who, in 2009, provided an estimated $450 billion in uncompensated long-term care. This is an increase from $375 billion just 2 years earlier, and more than double the value of all paid long-term care.

Family caregivers provide tremendous value, but they also face many challenges. While the typical family caregiver is a 49-year old woman who takes care of an older relative, 34 percent of family caregivers are aged 65 or older. Nearly one in ten is 75 or older. Many of these caregivers are putting their own health at risk, since caregivers experience high levels of stress and have a greater incidence of chronic conditions like heart disease, cancer and depression.

Most family caregivers are employed and struggle to balance their work and caregiving responsibilities. Nearly seven in ten caregivers report making sacrifices in the workplace because of their caregiving responsibilities. They face financial hardships if they must reduce their hours, change jobs, or leave the workforce entirely because of caregiving demands. Family caregivers age 50 and older who leave the workforce to care for a parent lose, on average, nearly $304,000 in wages and benefits over their lifetime.

I am therefore introducing legislation with my colleague from Wisconsin to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a national strategy to recognize and support family caregivers. Titled the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage, or RAISE Family Caregivers Act, the legislation is based on a recommendation of the bipartisan Commission on Long Term Care. It is modeled after a law that I co-authored in 2010 with then-Senator Evan Bayh that created a coordinated strategic national plan to combat Alzheimer's disease.

The RAISE Family Caregivers Act directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a National Family Caregiving Project to develop and sustain a national strategy to support family caregivers. The bill would create a Family Caregiving Advisory Council composed of relevant Federal agencies and non-federal members. It would include representatives of family caregivers, older adults with long-term care needs, individuals with disabilities, employers, health and social service providers, advocates for family caregivers, state and local officials, and others with expertise in family caregiving.

The Advisory Council would be charged with making recommendations to the Secretary. The strategy and plan would be updated annually to reflect new developments. The plan would include an initial inventory and assessment of federally-funded caregiver efforts. It would then identify specific actions that government, communities, employers, providers, and others can take to support family caregivers.

The Project would be funded from existing funding appropriated for the Department of Health and Human Services. No new funding is authorized. Like the National Alzheimer's Project Act, it would sunset in fifteen years.

Family caregivers are an invaluable resource to our aging society. Chances are that, sooner or later, we will all either be family caregivers or someone who needs one. The RAISE Family Caregivers Act will launch a coordinated, national strategic plan that will help us to leverage our resources, promote innovation and promising practices, and provide our nation's family caregivers with much-needed recognition and support. Our bipartisan legislation has been endorsed by AARP. I urge all of our colleagues to join us as cosponsors.

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