WASHINGTON, D.C – U.S. Senator Angus King is cosponsoring legislation to significantly expand home and community-based care for older and disabled Maine people while improving pay and benefits for the caregivers who provide the life-sustaining care. The Better Care Better Jobs Act would increase Medicaid funding for homecare, helping many of the over 1,700 people in Maine – and 650,000 people nationwide – on waiting lists finally receive care in the setting of their choice. The legislation prioritizes wage increases for people who deliver the critical services – supporting hardworking caregivers, creating new good-paying jobs, and helping to address the serious homecare workforce shortage across the state and in rural areas.

“Maine people deserve to age with dignity in the comfort of their own communities and access to care that empowers them to do so,” said Senator King. “As Maine faces a serious home healthcare shortage, the Better Care Better Jobs Act makes much-needed investments to help thousands of aging people across the state access this essential quality of life care. It also means jobs; this investment will significantly expand the homecare workforce, save money by reducing nursing home costs, and support dedicated caregivers. I am hopeful that Congress can pass this commonsense legislation to support older people, caregivers, and communities across our state.”

“Today, Senator King takes on one of the most critical issues facing older Mainers and their care partners - their inability to get home care because of a severe and persistent care worker shortage,” said Jess Maurer, Executive Director of the Maine Council on Aging. “Direct care workers are mostly women, often women of color, and the care work they do has been historically undervalued. The Better Care Better Jobs Act boldly claims that home care workers are a critical part of our care infrastructure and economy, and must be valued as such.”

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the urgent need to ensure that all Americans have the option to receive quality, long-term care in the setting that meets their needs and preferences. Though the vast majority of Americans prefer to receive such care and support at home, the state and nation face a significant shortage of caregivers to provide this care. Currently, there are only ~5 certified palliative care providers for every 100,000 Maine residents, a ratio that drops in rural areas. This has been made worse by low wages and few benefits for caregivers with roughly 18 percent of these workers living in poverty. This results in exceptionally high annual turnover rates, estimated to be over 60 percent.

The Better Care Better Jobs Act would increase home healthcare payment rates to promote recruitment and retention of direct care workers, increase wages, and develop and update training opportunities. The legislation would provide support to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to conduct oversight and encourage innovation to benefit direct care workers and care recipients.

Senator King has consistently worked to build a stronger healthcare workforce and provide better care to Maine’s aging community and people in need. Last year, he introduced three key pieces of legislation to improve the quality of homecare by providing career support and advancement opportunities for direct care service providers, and spoke on the Senate floor about the benefits of home healthcare investments. He also sponsored the Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act which would allow Medicare payment for home health services ordered by a nurse practitioner, a clinical nurse specialist, a certified nurse-midwife, or a physician assistant.

The bill is cosponsored by thirty-eight Senators and has also been introduced in the House of Representatives. Read more about the Better Care Better Jobs Act here.