Better Care Act Would Begin Building Biden's Vision for 'Human Infrastructure'
Bicameral legislation would boost care workers in the post-pandemic world
When President Biden first unveiled his initial American Jobs Plan, his vision entailed not only rebuilding and revitalizing such aging physical infrastructure as roads, bridges and drinking water systems.
Rather, he had a much more expansive plan which entailed supporting what Biden called “human infrastructure,” the often-unseen human component which supports a robust US economy and society.
However, as the president negotiated with Senate Republicans in order to secure bipartisan votes for his infrastructure program, he's had to cut back — often on the “human infrastructure” aspects of his plan.
Democrats in the House and Senate have come forward with new legislation intended to begin filling some of those gaps left in the bipartisan talks.
The legislation would make a historic investment in home and community-based services by strengthening and expanding access to quality home care services and lifting up the caregiving workforce that provides them, according to the array of legislators behind the measure.
Sen Bob Casey (D-Pa), chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore) and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), along with Chair of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Patty Murray (D-Wash) and Sens Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill), Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) are introducing the Better Care Better Jobs Act, what they call a key element of Biden’s American Jobs Plan.
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Reps Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill) and Doris Matsui (D-Calif) introduced the House companion.
“For millions of families, and especially for women, home and community-based services are a bridge to work and a bridge to economic security. The Better Care Better Jobs Act would not only enable more older adults and people with disabilities to remain in their homes, stay active in their communities and lead independent lives, it would also create jobs and lead to higher wages for care workers, who are predominantly women and people of color. This legislation is critical to advancing equity, spurring economic recovery and improving quality of life for older adults and people with disabilities,” said Chairman Casey.
The Better Care Better Jobs Act would provide states with enhanced Medicaid funding for home and community-bases services if they carry out certain activities that will support expanding access to these services and strengthen the workforce providing them, its backers said. It would also provide funding to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to carry out the bill’s programs and conduct oversight, they added.
In Pennsylvania, for instance, lawmakers said the pre-pandemic median wage for a direct care worker was just $11.99 per hour, and many have few or no benefits. Some 62 percent of home care workers are people of color.
“I am proud to introduce the Better Care Better Jobs Act with Senate Democrats as part of President Biden’s American Jobs Plan,” said Majority Leader Schumer. “The Better Care Better Jobs Act would make a massive investment in home and community-based services to ensure that seniors and people with disabilities have the right to live in their homes while getting the care they need. Furthermore, it will finally treat the home care workforce like the essential workers they are and ensure they are paid fair wages. The COVID-19 pandemic shown a painful magnifying glass on how our country is currently falling well short of those goals. We must do better. I will work tirelessly with President Biden and my colleagues in Congress to get this proposal signed into law.”
The bill would address inequities laid bare over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Mia Ives-Rublee, director for the Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress, a Democratic-oriented think tank in Washington DC.
“The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare many of the dangers of congregate facilities. Expanding home- and community-based services would ensure that many disabled and aging Americans are able to stay in their homes and participate in their communities while also getting the care they need to thrive,” she said. “It would also improve the lives of disabled care workers, with increases in pay and benefits. If passed, the Better Care Better Jobs Act would improve the lives of millions of disabled and aging Americans.”
Read more about the Better Care Better Jobs Act here.