Harris says 'it's about dignity' as she floats plan for in-home care for seniors

By Victor Reklaitis

Both the Democratic presidential nominee and GOP rival Donald Trump float new aid for voters as the White House race looks very close

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris on Tuesday rolled out a proposal for a new government benefit, as she remains locked in a tight White House race with GOP rival Donald Trump, who has also been floating new federal aid for voters.

The latest Harris proposal is for Medicare, the federal government's health-insurance program for seniors, to cover home-care services such as in-home aides for a wider number of recipients. In-home aides currently are covered only in a limited way.

"It's about dignity for that individual," the vice president said during an appearance on the ABC talk show "The View."

"They want to stay in their home. They don't want to go somewhere else. Plus, for the family to send them to a residential-care facility, to hire somebody is so expensive," she said.

The proposal is in large part an effort to appeal to middle-aged voters in the "sandwich generation," meaning those who are caring for both their children and aging parents. Nearly a quarter of Americans are in this group, and it has a significant number of undecided voters, according to a senior official with the Harris campaign.

"There are so many people in our country who are right in the middle," Harris said during her talk-show appearance. "They're taking care of their kids, and they're taking care of their aging parents, and it's just almost impossible to do it all, especially if they work."

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The Harris campaign official said the benefit would be paid for in part by expanding Medicare's drug-price negotiations, increasing the discounts that drug makers PJP cover for certain brand-name drugs in Medicare and cracking down on hidden costs that stem from pharmacy benefit managers. Aging at home rather than at a nursing home can provide monthly savings of about $3,000 or more, according to the official.

Other aid that the Harris and Trump campaigns have floated for voters includes not taxing tips and expanding the child tax credit. Trump also has backed eliminating out-of-pocket costs for in vitro fertilization.

The proposals could face resistance in Congress, just as President Biden's "Build Back Better" plan ran into objections even when his Democratic Party controlled both the House and Senate. Ultimately only pared-back versions of his proposals were enacted.

In response to Harris's proposal, the Trump campaign said she's following the Republican nominee's lead and highlighted his earlier promises to "support Policies that help Seniors remain in their homes" as well as "shift resources back to at-home Senior Care."

Harris had been seen as slightly more likely to win the 2024 election by betting markets over the past four weeks, but Trump has had the edge this week, according to a RealClearPolitics average for such markets. RCP's polling averages for swing states also have been showing a very close race.

Now read: Here's how economic issues could help Republicans take back the U.S. Senate

-Victor Reklaitis

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10-08-24 1252ET

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