Source: United States Senator for Ohio Sherrod Brown
CLEVELAND, OH – Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and U.S. Secretary of Labor, Marty Walsh, met with home care workers and disability advocates to discuss Brown and President Biden’s plan to invest in home and community-based services (HCBS). Under our current long-term care system, too many people cannot access the care they need in their homes and communities, even though these are the environments where most people prefer to receive care.
“Caregiving is some of the most important work in our society, and makes all other work possible – yet it so often doesn’t pay off like it should,” said Brown. “With President Biden and Secretary Walsh, we are going to invest in home and community-based services so more Ohioans can safely age in their homes, and so care workers get the pay and dignity on the job they deserve.”
“In Ohio and across the country, I’ve heard too many caregivers share stories of their struggle to support their own families, due to low wages and limited benefits. It’s time we take better care of those who care for us,” said Secretary Marty Walsh. “President Biden’s Build Back Better Agenda is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in the care economy and finally value this vital work.”
“In this work, I have found that I have something in common with the people I provide care to every day: we want to be seen and heard. That’s why the Build Back Better Plan is so important. This investment in care, care jobs and care consumers means that we are finally being recognized,” said Barbara Roberson, a home care worker from Cleveland, OH. “It feels good to be acknowledged by President Biden and members of Congress, but we need to be in the budget. Passing the Build Back Better Plan will help change our industry which makes all other work possible.”
“Home care workers put everything we have into our clients — even if it means setting our own needs aside. I know I should take better care of myself, but my brother is my top priority. At the end of the day, he matters more,” said Monica Payne, a home care provider from Akron. Payne cares for her brother, Maurice, full-time. “Unless you do this work yourself, it’s hard to understand just how demanding it can be. But one thing everyone can understand is the need to care for others. This investment in care isn’t about the money; It’s about making sure our country’s care providers can give people like my brother the life they deserve to live. I hope Sec. Walsh and Sen. Brown will take that message back to Washington.”
Brown supports investment in Medicaid Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) that would expand access to services, lead to better compensation and benefits for workers and help to create middle-class jobs.
That’s why Brown is a cosponsor of the newly introduced Better Care Better Jobs Act, which would put President Biden’s proposal into action by expanding HCBS; strengthening the home care workforce; encouraging innovative models that benefit care workers and recipients; supporting quality and accountability; and facilitating state planning to develop HCBS infrastructure plans.
The Better Care Better Jobs Act would provide states with enhanced Medicaid funding for home and community-based services if they carry out certain activities that will support expanding access to these services and strengthen the workforce providing them. It would also provide funding to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to carry out the bill’s programs and conduct oversight, include incentives for states to expand supports for family caregivers, and create opportunities to strengthen and expand the home care workforce.
Read more about the Better Care Better Jobs Act here.
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