Supporting Our Seniors Act
The Supporting Our Seniors Act would create a permanent but time-limited federal Commission on Long-Term Care. The 12-member commission would include appointments by the President and congressional leaders from both parties, with members drawn from fields such as palliative and hospice care, home- and community-based services, aging and geriatrics, disability advocacy, long-term care insurance, and senior housing. The commission must submit annual policy recommendations to Congress, the President, federal agencies, and the public on topics like long-term care coverage for those not eligible for Medicaid, aging in place, financing for low- and middle-income individuals, caregiver supports and workforce stability, access to comprehensive and palliative care, affordability, and wraparound community services. It would also require periodic interaction with major stakeholder groups and federal advisory bodies, and federal agencies would need to respond to the commission’s recommendations within six months of reporting. The commission is designed to operate for up to 10 years and then terminate. It has authority to hold hearings, request information from federal agencies, engage staff and an executive director, and accept gifts. Funding is authorized “to be appropriated as necessary,” meaning there’s no specific funding amount set in the bill itself. The act emphasizes cross-agency coordination and stakeholder engagement to shape long-term care policy, including support for caregivers and measures to reduce hospitalization costs through expanded home-based services.
Key Points
- 1Establishes the Commission on Long-Term Care (12 members) with specified appointment sources (President, House Speaker and minority leader, Senate majority and minority leaders) and a broad set of qualifications in aging, caregiving, care delivery, and related fields.
- 2Requires annual (and then ongoing) policy recommendations on long-term care topics, including coverage for non-Medicaid-eligible individuals, aging in place, financing for low/middle income, caregiver supports, access to comprehensive care and palliative services, affordability, and wraparound community services.
- 3Mandates regular consultation with stakeholder groups and key federal advisors (e.g., MedPAC, MACPAC, state aging agencies) and obligates affected federal agencies to respond to recommendations within six months.
- 4Grants the Commission powers to hold hearings, obtain information, use remote meeting tools, accept gifts, and hire staff (including an executive director) with a pay cap linked to the Executive Schedule.
- 5Sets the Commission to terminate 10 years after enactment, making it a long-term policy study and recommendation body rather than a permanent agency.
- 6Authorization of appropriations is open-ended (“such sums as are necessary”), so funding would be determined by Congress as the Commission operates.