Washington, D.C., (March 3, 2015) – ACLI applauds Sens. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Reps. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) and Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.) for spearheading the launch today of the Assisting Caregivers Today Caucus (ACT Caucus).
The goal of the ACT Caucus is to inform Members of Congress about the value of and need to support family caregivers, as well as the challenges and opportunities individuals of all ages face as they seek to live independently.
More than 42 million family caregivers provide unpaid care annually to adults at any given point in time. Caregivers often coordinate services and provide assistance with activities such as bathing, dressing, eating, transportation, and shopping, and management of finances, as well as medical/nursing tasks. When family caregivers are not able to provide all the assistance their loved ones require, direct care workers often fill that gap, providing between 70-80 percent of paid long-term personal assistance
ACLI member companies support caregivers in many ways, including long-term care insurance, which in addition to nursing home stays, allows families to pay for caregiving services and respite care. ACLI members paid out nearly $8 billion in total long-term care insurance claims in 2013 alone.
ACLI looks forward to working with members of the ACT Caucus as they explore bipartisan solutions to the caregiving challenge.