Who Knows Care Infrastructure Is Important?
I believe my readers, being geriatric care manager nurses, social workers, know why the caregiver infrastructure is important. But the republican Senate and House do not>
Care Fuels’ Our Economy
Despite overwhelming evidence that care fuels our economy and that American families desperately need this help, care has somehow been tagged as “social” or “human” infrastructure and been omitted from the bipartisan infrastructure agreement.
Medicare To Cover Dental, Hearing Vision in Care Economy
But a new bill Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said late Tuesday the Budget Committee’s $3.5 trillion plan would include a historic expansion of Medicare to cover hearing, dental and vision care for the first time.
Although there’s no certainty that everything in the budget blueprint will make it through the full congressional process , Medicare advocates are hopeful that coverage of the extra benefits will come to fruition.
They’d also like to make permanent expanded marketplace subsidies and find a way to get Medicaid to low-income people in a handful of GOP-led states that still refuse to expand the program.
Some of this could be paid for by including a provision allowing the federal government to directly negotiate lower prices for drugs in the Medicare program — a provision that would actually save the government $345 billion, according to the CBO.
Is That Infrastructure Says the Republicans?
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” 
“One of the areas that I am working on right now is the need to expand Medicare in order to provide dental care and hearing aids and eyeglasses for millions and millions of seniors who need these services but can’t afford it.”
“Is that infrastructure? I think it is,” he added.
“Look, Jake, the truth is, in so many ways, we are behind many other countries throughout the world in providing for working families and the elderly and the children. And I think now is the time to begin addressing our physical infrastructure and our human infrastructure. I want to see that happen as soon as possible.”
Call Write Go To Meet Your Congressman
Care may wait a long time if folks in health care and older constituents do not contact their congressman and tell them to support this bill. They control the votes for the bill and you have to let them know you will only vote for them if they do. Common Cause has this easy way to find and contact your congressman If you believe in Medicare and senior’s right to to not have their teeth rot, not hear their grandkids or be unable to read a book- do it now
