White House Announces Executive Order Aimed at Bolstering Care Work

Last week, the Biden-Harris administration announced a set of executive actions which attempt to address issues surrounding care work and family caregivers. The Executive Order includes more than 50 directives to administrative agencies to expand access to “affordable, high-quality care, and provide support for care workers and family caregivers.”

The announcement highlights the struggle that families and individuals face in accessing needed care, and, at the same time, the problems with low pay and minimal support that care workers face. The order notes that more than three in four long-term care service providers have reported not being able to accept new clients, making it hard for older adults and people with disabilities to access the care that they need.

Included in the order are directives to:

• Improve access to homebased care for veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs
• Improve the quality of home care jobs by directing the Department of Health and Human Services to consider issuing regulations and guidance to build on and improve minimum staffing standards, condition Medicare and Medicaid payments on worker retention, and leverage Medicaid funding to ensure an adequate home care workforce.
• Support family caregivers by exploring a dementia care model that will include support for respite care and make it easier for family caregivers to access Medicare information.

Medicare Rights applauds the administration for its focus on these critical issues. We look forward to continuing to work with the administration and Congress to advance important policies to support family caregivers and the long-term care workforce.

Read the order, which also addresses issues related to childcare access and affordability.

Read a fact sheet summarizing the actions.