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Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06) sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. requesting the Secretary commit to protecting long-term care and support services for seniors.

“By the year 2050, nearly 20 percent of the United States population will be 65 or older, compared to 15 percent today,” Dingell writes. “As the nation ages, experts are also contemplating what the increase in the aging population will mean for the workplace, economy, healthcare, and senior living, and what needs to be done to support seniors and the caregivers they rely upon now.”

“Medicaid is the primary source of payment for long-term care in America. Medicaid covers long-term services and supports (LTSS) for roughly 9.3 million older adults and people with disabilities, with roughly 700,000 of those people living in nursing homes,” Dingell continues. “Among people aged 65 and over, about 70 percent will need LTSS in their lifetime. To provide this coverage, Medicaid spends about $200 billion on all LTSS, with $59 billion spent specifically on nursing home care. In addition to funding care in institutional settings, states can seek waivers through Medicaid to provide coverage of Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) which allow people to receive services in the comfort and safety of their own homes."

“House Republicans are proposing to structurally change the Medicaid program by implementing at least $880 billion in crippling cuts. Because the proposed cuts are so severe, states will have to re-evaluate the level of services they provide. Medicaid cuts would place an enormous financial burden on older adults, people with disabilities, and their families, especially for those who have already spent down their assets and resources to qualify for Medicaid,” Dingell concludes. “Consumers could have to forego needed care entirely, or their family members would be forced to choose between covering their children’s expenses, saving for their own retirement, or helping their loved one.”

Specifically, Dingell requested answers to the following questions:

1. Will you commit to ensuring that the quality of care for long term care services will not be impacted by the actions of the Trump administration?
2. Have you considered how a minimum $880 billion cut to Medicaid will impact access to LTSS?
3. What is the administration's plan to support seniors who rely on LTSS?

The letter is also signed by Representatives Sanford Bishop, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Yvette Clarke, Troy Carter, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Dwight Evans, Timothy Kennedy, LaMonica McIver, Terri Sewell, Seth Magaziner, Bennie Thompson, Jennifer McClellan, Lori Trahan, Maxine Waters, Marilyn Strickland, Lou Correa, Hank Johnson, Sarah McBride, Seth Moulton, Mark Pocan, Tom Suozzi, Stephen Lynch, Pramila Jayapal, Nanette Barragan, John Larson, Rashida Tlaib, Andre Carson, Chris Pappas, Maggie Goodlander, Julia Brownley, and Jim McGovern.

View the full text of the letter here.

Dingell has long been a leader in Congress on expanding access to care, specifically home- and community- based services, and supporting the care workforce. She has introduced the Better Care Better Jobs Act and HCBS Access Act to enhance Medicaid funding for home care, strengthen the caregiving workforce, improve quality of life for families, and boost the economy by creating good paying jobs to make it possible for families and workers alike to thrive.