Congress Funds First Step for National Caregiving Strategy

As part of a large appropriations bill, Congress has allocated $300,000 to establish the first U.S. family caregiving advisory council, with the measure slated to go to President Trump this week, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune . The advisory council is key to deploying the bipartisan RAISE Family Caregivers Act to address the growing burden on families and businesses as the population ages. AARP estimates that informal caregivers contribute an estimated $470 million in unpaid care for America's older adults annually. The RAISE Act urges the Department of Health and Human Services to propose an initial strategy to Congress within 18 months. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) notes implementation has been sluggish, and she lauds the "critical funding" needed to take the next step. The council will convene informal caregivers and older adults along with employers, healthcare providers, senior housing representatives, community leaders, nonprofits, and all levels of government. Its objective is to address a wide scope of social, cultural, and policy solutions. The American economy loses $33.6 billion each year in productivity as working caregivers help out their loved ones. The physical and mental toll correlates with higher healthcare costs for caregivers, even as their work has been shown to save taxpayers money by preventing or delaying costs of care paid by ­Medicare and Medicaid.