Senators Ron Wyden and Herb Kohl

For eldercare stakeholders, one of the most meaningful outcomes of the Senate debate on the federal recovery package may have been a floor discussion concerning the direct-care workforce.

In offering an amendment to the bill, a more robust version of Retooling the Health Care Workforce for an Aging America Act, Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, and Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) extracted a promise from the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee that the needs of the long-term care workforce will be considered in health care reform.

Relying heavily on PHI’s research on the coming caregiving crisis, Senator Wyden warned his fellow senators:

“With the aging of the baby boomer generation, this workforce will need to grow substantially if we are to meet the coming demand for both medical and non-medical support services delivered in the home and in small community residences, as well as in more traditional nursing homes and assisted living facilities.  However, today, we are not on track to achieve this goal. In order to meet the future health needs of older adults and recruit and retain a stable and competent long-term care workforce, the Congress, state governments, and the Obama Administration need to work together.”

Senator Kohl continued the plea, citing last spring’s Institute of Medicine report on the health care workforce for an aging America:

“We already have a shortage of health care workers who are trained and devoted to caring for older Americans and those with disabilities – a fact that is well-documented in the report issued by the Institute of Medicine last year.  This shortage is one that will only grow more desperate as our country ages rapidly. The United States will not be able to meet the approaching demand for health care and long-term care without a workforce that is prepared for the job.”

Agreeing with the Senators, Max Baucus, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, noted the research that PHI and others have done showing that our nation is not prepared to care for growing numbers of elders:

“Various studies suggest present and future shortages of paraprofessionals and health care professionals.    Effective recruitment and retention strategies are needed.  Training programs should be designed that address the competencies required of a twenty-first century work force.  As part of this effort we also should look at the skills of those currently delivering long term care services.”

Then, Baucus pledged to make an investment in the direct-care workforce as part of the health care reform package, a top priority of President Obama:

“The purpose of health reform is to achieve a high performing health system.  Achieving this goal requires an investment in our health professional and paraprofessional workforce.”

PHI looks forward to working with Senator Baucus and others to ensure that America’s health care reform efforts address the needs of elders and people with disabilities by supporting better jobs for direct-care workers.