Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Credit: Guy Smallman / Contributor/Getty Images (rights managed)

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) could prove to be a strong ally to the home care industry as he takes over the chairmanship of the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee next month, providers say.

Home Care and Hospice President and CEO William Dombi told McKnight’s Home Care Daily Pulse he is looking forward to working with the veteran senator who has backed expansion of home- and community-based services in the past.

“In 2022, Senator Sanders joined 38 other sponsors of the Better Care Better Jobs Act, which would have significantly strengthened Medicaid home- and community-based services nationally with $150 billion in increased support for HCBS patients and caregivers,” Dombi said in an email. “We hope that he can help bring this essential legislation over the finish line in 2023 along with other health care-related innovations that can expand the value of health care at home.”  

A spokesperson for LeadingAge, the nonprofit representing 5,000 senior service organizations, told McKnight’s Home Care Daily Pulse the organization also is looking forward to working with Sanders based on his demonstrated commitment to expanding care to older adults. 

“We look forward to engaging with him and hope that his passion for older Americans and people who care for them will drive the committee towards further addressing the critical issue of supporting and expanding the healthcare workforce,” LeadingAge said in an email statement. “We ask HELP to enhance and create new programs that support our dedicated, professional caregivers.”

Sanders, who recently chaired the Senate Budget Committee, has been a vocal critic of the U.S. healthcare system and has called for reform. In remarks on the floor of the Senate last fall, the Vermont senator called the healthcare system dysfunctional and urged Congress to pass Medicare for All legislation, which he had introduced. The legislation would cover dental care, vision, hearing aids, prescription drugs and home and community-based care. Sanders has also advocated expanding social security benefits to seniors. 

Still, Sanders could also prove to be a wild card for the home care industry since he also supports issues that could be viewed as running counter to the interests of home care and hospice agencies. In 2018, he introduced the Workforce Democracy Act, which would allow unions to organize through a majority sign-up process and eliminate state right-to-work laws. 

Labor unions, especially the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), have been working aggressively to organize the nation’s 3 million home care workers. SEIU currently represents 750,00 home care workers nationwide and scored a victory last month when caregivers at a Buffalo, NY. home care firm voted overwhelmingly to unionize.