A Winning Issue for The Closing Case: 'Medicare at Home'

Tight elections often come down to who has the strongest close. Kamala Harris has certainly had a strong one. One of the strongest elements has been her support for Medicare at Home, which would expand Medicare to include in-home care. There is plenty of evidence that this issue moves voters, and for swing voters looking for one more data point in that decision, this could be the tipping point.

Harris spoke about Medicare at Home when appearing on the Howard Stern Show earlier this month. This part of the conversation with Stern scored in the 95th percentile in determining a voter's opinion of Harris as a candidate, far outpacing all other messages.

This aligns with what we’ve found in Wisconsin. Senior Voters for Care, of which I am affiliated, teamed up with Hart Research Associates to conduct a poll of 800 likely voters over 55 in Wisconsin on views on long-term care.

The poll found that 71% of swing voters and 64% of independent voters said that if a candidate had a plan to provide more funding for long-term care, they would view that candidate more favorably. Kamala Harris has that plan.

The issue of long-term care has been a hot one in the state as a number of conservative county boards have pushed to privatize county-owned nursing homes despite their being five-star facilities and, in most cases, on solid financial footing. The issue has stirred up a hornet’s nest with seniors across partisanship, flooding into county board meetings, marching (and driving their tractors) in local parades, and organizing to stop the sale every step of the way.

The number of Wisconsinites 75 and older is projected to grow by 75% over the next two decades. If the state’s senior population continues to grow as projected, it will need 10,000 more registered nurses, CNAs, and home health care aids by 2030.

The most popular solution among those polled to the state’s looming care crisis was raising caregivers' wages to help attract and retain workers. Ninety-three percent of the people polled supported this measure, including 87 percent of Republicans and 93 percent of independents.

Nearly as popular was expanding Medicaid to increase access to necessary long-term care, with 87% overall backing this initiative, including 93% of Independents.

This is a big deal because Medicare at Home is essentially these two solutions put together, though even better, in that it would expand one of the most popular social programs in the country–Medicare. Chances are that support for this proposal would have outpaced the question we asked because, through Medicare, this long-term care benefit would be available to all of us, while Medicaid is only for those of us with low incomes and very little wealth. Because Medicare does not cover long-term, many families spend down their savings to qualify for Medicaid.

My family is spending my mom’s life savings and the money made from selling her house to pay for her assisted living care at $6,000 a month. It’s a common experience for many voters.

The poll found that 71% of swing voters and 64% of independent voters said that if a candidate had a plan to provide more funding for long-term care, they would view that candidate more favorably. Kamala Harris has that plan.

The Vice President’s plan to win the Presidency banks on some rapidly aging states. Wisconsin's 85-and-over population is expected to double between now and 2040. Michiganders over 85 are the state’s fastest-growing age group, and Pennsylvania’s over-65 population is already more than 2.2 million.

Medicare at Home is the right policy at the right time and appears to be good politics. If enough people heard about it in the campaign's closing weeks, it could be one of the parts of her strong finish that helps put her over the top.