Support for Caregivers Takes Many Forms
When the patient with a complex chronic condition is also your spouse, parent or child, you walk every step of the journey with them. Family members are part of the care team. In fact, over 40 million adults in the United States are providing unpaid care to a loved one in their homes and communities. This care is dignified, loving and invaluable. It takes many forms including driving to appointments, making decisions about treatment plans, helping with medical tasks, managing finances and medications and daily personal care tasks like meal preparation.
Family caregivers do not get a day off. The average caregiver spends 24 hours a week caring for a loved and an average of 20 percent of their income, or nearly $7,000, on care-related expenses. Thankfully, a bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced legislation that assists family caregivers across that country. U.S. Senators Joni Ernst and Elizabeth Warren along with U.S. Representatives Linda Sanchez and Tom Reed have sponsored the Credit for Caring Act (S. 1443 and H.R. 2730). The Credit for Caring Act, endorsed by AARP, would provide working family caregivers with a nonrefundable tax credit up to $3,000 to assist with out-of-pocket expenses related to caregiving. This tax credit for caregivers can be used toward expenses such as transportation, home modifications to accommodate a family member, medication management services, and training related to caring for a loved one. Caregivers need and deserve this support.
Navigating the treatment of a complex or chronic disease is complicated. Patients and their family caregivers should focus on healing and quality of life. They do not need the anxiety (caused by 3rd party vendors interfering with care decisions made by physicians and patients), uncertainty (loved ones losing access to breakthrough therapies) and disruption to care (drug vendor delays interrupting treatment schedules) that come along with the International Pricing Index proposal. Take action; tell your Member of Congress ‘Don’t’ Try IPI.’