Suozzi: “A Storm is Coming, We Need to Finally Develop a Bipartisan Proposal to Address Long Term Health Care Insurance”

On Thursday, November 14, Congressman Tom Suozzi (D-Long Island, Queens) passionately advocated for a bipartisan solution to long-term senior care. It is estimated that in the next 10 years, over fourteen million older Americans will not qualify for senior housing and will not be financially stable enough to afford long-term care themselves. This serious and fast-approaching problem will require comprehensive solutions. 

At a House Ways and Means Hearing which focused on developing strategies for increasing access to health services at home for aging and disabled populations. Suozzi said:

“A storm is coming, it may be here already. We need to finally develop a bipartisan, comprehensive proposal to address long term health care insurance. This touches every single family. Having grown up in a household with all four of my grandparents at home, three of whom were sick and helping care for my parents as they aged, makes this issue deeply personal to me. Not only will this resonate politically, but it will actually make people’s lives better.”

At the hearing, Suozzi also advocated for a potential pilot program that would be instrumental in addressing this issue. Several witnesses at the hearing agreed with Suozzi that a pilot program would be an effective way to begin developing a solution which would allow for increased access to health services for aging and disabled populations.

Congressman Suozzi has voted for and supported numerous pieces of legislation that would support our nation's seniors. This includes:

•           The Lower Drug Costs Now Act, which will allow Medicare the power to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies;

•           The SECURE Act, which would help more Americans retire with financial peace of mind;

•           The Dignity in Aging Act, which recently passed the House and will ensure that aging seniors have access to food, transportation, and other basic services they need to live independently and with dignity; and much more.

Suozzi has also introduced bipartisan legislation to help increase federal funding to research for Alzheimer’s disease, the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States and the only one in the top 10 without a cure or disease-modifying treatment.

Lastly, Suozzi believes that that if you are willing to work forty or fifty hours a week for fifty weeks a year, then you should make enough money to have a safe place to live; have health insurance; educate your kids, and one day retire without being scared. He will continue to fight for the promise of a safe and secure source of retirement income and health care for all Americans.