Republicans push back on Democrats' push for new Medicare long-term care benefit
Republican health advisers are rallying against Democratic plans to add a long-term care benefit to Medicare as the 2028 election cycle looms.
Democrats, led by Sen. Ron Wyden, are exploring a Medicare home-care guarantee to address the looming needs of the nation’s aging population, a move that could shape health-care messaging for the 2028 presidential race. Republican figures such as former Gov. Bobby Jindal and Paragon Health Institute president Brian Blase argue that adding a new entitlement without a clear funding path would exacerbate Medicare’s already strained finances, which the Congressional Budget Office projects will double by 2036.
They suggest re-examining the split of duties between Medicaid, Medicare, private insurers and emerging technologies, and tightening Medicaid eligibility to curb asset-spending loopholes. The GOP also emphasizes fraud detection, citing the White House Fraud Task Force’s identification of billions in improper billing for home-care services. Past Democratic efforts, including the 2010 CLASS Act and the 2021 Build Back Better proposal, were abandoned or defunded, underscoring the political and fiscal challenges of any new long-term care benefit.
Why it matters
The debate determines how the U.S. will fund and deliver care for millions of seniors as the baby-boom generation ages.
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