John,

The COVID-19 crisis is ongoing and urgent, and we need Congress to move urgently too. We recently conducted a poll that showed 4 in 5 Americans want major support for family caregivers — including paid leave, childcare, and health care — before states even consider re-opening.

This week, the House unveiled their latest coronavirus relief package, the HEROES Act. And guess what? It included a version of OUR proposal — Family Care — to support caregivers. This bill provides trillions of dollars in support that people want and need right now.

There are two important things you can do to urge Congress to pass the HEROES Act with Family Care:

1. If you have a Twitter account, tweet at Speaker Nancy Pelosi to urge her to make sure the HEROES Act passes with Family Care. Click here for a pre-written tweet you can send or edit to make your own.

2. If you’re not on Twitter, or you prefer to call instead, call the Speaker’s office to let her know why passing the HEROES Act with Family Care is important to you. Click here for the number and some easy talking points you can use during your call.

We are all caregivers in this moment — for our loved ones, for our communities, and for those we don’t even know. This is the time to put caregivers front-and-center and meet the needs of all of our families.

This bill would provide real, tangible support to caregivers. Here’s how:

• Free testing and treatment for all
• Paid leave, including leave to care for an adult family member, whether that is a senior or a person with a disability, and leave for self-isolation and supporting others’ needs to isolate as a reason for leave. It also expands the definition of family to include chosen family.
• Funding for childcare and for the care of adults or seniors with disabilities
• An increase in Medicaid funding specifically for home and community based services, and requirement that nursing homes provide televisitations with loved ones in skilled nursing facilities
• Housing support for older adults and persons with disabilities so that they can remain in their homes
• Additional stimulus checks for $1200
• Mental health support, including for substance abuse, behavioral health needs as a result of COVID-19, and support for all people.
• Nearly one trillion dollars in relief for state and local response so that they can better respond to and serve increased demand for state and local programs, including Medicaid, which is the nation’s #1 provider of home and community-based care.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve worked with two Congressional champions, Representative Deb Haaland from New Mexico and Representative Joaquin Castro from Texas, to urge Congressional leadership to focus on family caregivers in any new relief package. More than 1500 Caring Across supporters signed our letter to Speaker Pelosi in April. AND IT WORKED. The HEROES Act provides the most support family caregivers have received during this crisis. We need to make sure it passes.

Let Speaker Pelosi know that the HEROES Act is important for family caregivers, and urge her to pass it. Send your tweet or make your call (or do both!) today.

With care,

Josie Kalipeni
Director or Policy and Partnerships
Caring Across Generations