The infrastructure plan that President Joe Biden has proposed involves a lot of rebuilding for our country. This includes both physical and figurative infrastructure. Now, when people hear the word “infrastructure,” the immediate thought is that this includes roads and buildings, but as the administration has stated, there’s a lot more to it than this. Still, a lot of people were surprised to find out that the plan also has a large amount of money set aside for senior care.
As of right now, the infrastructure plan that President Biden has proposed includes some elements of senior care designed to make life better for the elderly population. Now, although there are disagreements out there on just HOW this should be paid for, the fact that it should be addressed and fortified is something that we all agree on. Whether you’re a Republican, Democrat, or something else, we all agree that seniors deserve the best possible care.
The proposed plan includes a large investment in senior care, including home or community based care. The massive price tag of the plan–currently sitting at $400 billion–has about 20 percent of these funds set aside for senior care. That’s $80 billion that is set to be pumped into the senior care industry. And for the most part, the emphasis of the plan is directed toward helping seniors find high quality care without ever leaving their home.
This seems like a huge investment, but it could be bigger. Studies have found that care administered in the home tends to be a lot cheaper than nursing homes–both for the family and for the government. By investing in the infrastructure of in-home care, the federal government is actually saving a huge amount of money.
Again, this article is not about politics or whether you support President Biden’s policies. This article is about a major restructuring of the senior care industry. And regardless of your politics, it’s become very clear that this revamp is needed. How it should happen and how it will be funded is up to the politicians and policy makers. But something needs to happen.
Hopefully, this is what is needed to ensure that our older loved ones have all of the care and support that they need. If all goes according to the plan that President Biden has set forth, things are looking promising. But in all reality, there will probably need to be work done even after this plan has gone into place. It’s very likely that even though some of the care issues that have been uncovered might be resolved, other issues will be uncovered.
And that’s okay. Senior care isn’t about perfection, it’s about helping the people that we care about have their needs met on an ongoing basis. As new issues arise, new solutions will be arrived at. That’s one of the big benefits of in-home care. The care can be individualized far more easily than if it was administered in a large scale setting.
This is a step forward for seniors. Hopefully, we can keep taking them.
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