Family caregiving is an essential job performed with grace and dedication by more than 48 million Americans and 600,000 Coloradans. There is little doubt that each and every American is one or two degrees of separation away from knowing someone who either provides care or receives it.
When medical issues arise, it is often a loved one who steps in to give care and support. Whether it’s household work, traveling to and from doctors’ visits, or cooking and delivering meals, these unpaid caregivers show tremendous compassion and love.
In Colorado, caregivers perform an average of 20 hours of work every week, and they do it for no pay. According to research, the average caregiver spends $7,200 – or more than a quarter of their income – to care for an aging loved one out of their own pocket. These men and women give of themselves in a truly selfless way. Their indispensable role in our society must never be overlooked or forgotten, and we as a nation should do more to support them in every way that we can.
That’s why the newly introduced bill called the Credit for Caring Act deserves immediate consideration in Congress. This bipartisan proposal would provide up to a $5,000 annual tax credit for caregivers. Our senior Senator Michael Bennet is one of the lead sponsors of this legislation. Senator Bennet boldly partnered with West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito and Representatives Linda Sánchez and Mike Carey. It’s a commonsense, compassionate policy – and it’s supported by 84% of voters nationwide.
This year, Congress is set to consider a large tax package, and lawmakers are currently deciding what provisions will be most important to include. Making sure that the Credit for Caring Act is included in that package would be a substantial step toward relieving the financial burden faced by millions of caregivers in our state and across the country.
We are grateful for Senator Bennet’s work on this issue. In addition to leading the Credit for Caring Act, Senator Bennet helped launch and lead the bipartisan Assisting Caregivers Today Caucus, which has members in the Senate and House. Caregiving is a unifying issue at a time when bipartisanship is hard to find. Supporting family caregivers is not only good politics, it has the added benefit of simply being the right thing to do.
Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” In a nation as wealthy as ours, no one should have to choose between caring for a loved one or affording a quality life for themselves. Congress has the opportunity and duty to act on Senator Bennet’s Credit for Caring Act to give family caregivers the financial help they need.
Patti McLaughlin is a caregiver and the immediate past chair of the Summit County Democratic Party.
