HOME- AND COMMUNITY-BASED LONG-TERM CARE

WHEREAS, employer- or state-sponsored health insurance plans generally pay for hospitalization and doctor visits for acute illnesses but almost never cover the services required for chronic conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis or cerebral palsy; and

WHEREAS, these problems, along with many severe mental and physical disabilities resulting from stroke, accident, or congenital conditions, call for long-term custodial care, either at home or in nursing homes; and

WHEREAS, most Americans can't afford to buy private insurance to cover long-term care (LTC), since a comprehensive policy can easily cost $2,000 or more a year; and

WHEREAS, family members who provide LTC at home "primarily mothers, wives and daughters* of the disabled and chronically ill" are shouldering enormous burdens and jeopardizing their own health, jobs and other family relationships in order to meet their caregiving responsibilities; and

WHEREAS, professional LTC services can carry a high price tag, with nursing home care the most costly at an average of $35,000 a year, and home care services, including adult day care centers, homemaker/chore services, and respite for family caregivers, can be nearly as expensive; and

WHEREAS, the average American who pays for LTC expends his or her life savings, often in a matter of months, ending up impoverished and requiring Medicaid assistance; and

WHEREAS, every American is at risk of needing long-term care, regardless of age, income, gender, ethnic origin or geographic location:

RESOLVED, that this 73rd AFT convention acknowledge that real health care reform must include a substantial step toward coverage of long-term care, starting with coverage of home and community-based long-term care for the severely disabled, as embodied in President Clinton’s Health Security Act, eventually leading to broader coverage in homes, communities and nursing homes; and

RESOLVED, that Congress be urged to enact an LTC program that covers a wide range of services including those that provide respite for family caregivers, requires limited cost sharing by clients, and contains provisions that will safeguard the well-being of LTC clients and workers alike; and

RESOLVED, that this new long-term care program follow the principles of social insurance, so that all Americans can qualify for coverage based on severity of disability, without regard to age and without demeaning income tests.