IV 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 431 
Supporting the goals and ideals of a Long-Term Care Awareness Week. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 25, 2008 
Ms. HERSETH SANDLIN (for herself, Mr. BOUSTANY, Mr. ISRAEL, Mr. BUR-
GESS, Mrs. DRAKE, Mr. HINCHEY, Mrs. CAPITO, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. 
HALL of Texas, Mr. ENGLISH of Pennsylvania, and Ms. GINNY BROWN- 
WAITE of Florida) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which 
was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Supporting the goals and ideals of a Long-Term Care 
Awareness Week. 
Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services has 
reported that approximately 60 percent of individuals 
who are over the age of 65 will need some kind of long- 
term care services, and at some point more than 40 per-
cent of such individuals will require nursing home care; 
Whereas in 2005, the Government Accountability Office pro-
jected that the number of individuals in the age group of 
individuals who are 85 years or older, which it finds is 
the age group most likely to require long-term care serv-
ices, is projected to increase more than 250 percent from 
4,300,000 individuals in 2000 to 15,400,000 individuals 
by 2040; 
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Whereas the Internet site of the National Clearinghouse for 
Long-Term Care Information notes that the Medicare 
program does not generally pay for most long-term care 
services that are needed, the Medicare program pays for 
skilled nursing facility services only after a recent hos-
pital stay, Medicare beneficiaries generally pay up to 
$128 in daily coinsurance beginning on the 21st day of 
coverage, coverage ends after 100 days, and that the 
Medicare program does not cover a stay in an assisted 
living facility or adult day care; 
Whereas an AARP study in 2006 found that 59 percent of 
people in the United States who are 45 years of age or 
older overestimated the level of coverage under the Medi-
care program for nursing home care and more than half 
of such people who are 45 years of age or older indicate 
they believe such program provides coverage for assisted 
living, which it does not; 
Whereas the 2006 AARP study concludes that given the al-
ready high costs related to long-term care and the pro-
jected growth in the size of the older population in future 
years, it is essential for people in the United States to 
learn more about the costs of long-term care, about ways 
to prepare for and pay for long-term care, and about 
State and community resources that are available to as-
sist in these challenges; 
Whereas the Government Accountability Office has reported 
that broad-based misperceptions regarding the Medicare 
program’s level of long-term care coverage significantly 
contributes to the lack of personal preparation of people 
in the United States for the financing of long-term care 
and advises that the government can play a significant 
part in enhancing personal preparedness by educating 
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people in the United States about the scope of coverage 
of long-term care under public programs such as the 
Medicare program; 
Whereas people in the United States have a right to know 
what long-term care coverage is available to them so that 
they are able to make informed retirement choices; 
Whereas the first phase of the Department of Health and 
Human Service’s pilot program to raise awareness re-
garding planning for long-term care obtained a less than 
8-percent response rate by consumers requesting infor-
mation in selected States; 
Whereas in 2002 the Government Accountability Office re-
ported that less than 10 percent of the elderly population 
in the United States and a lower percentage of those 
aged 55 to 64 years of age in the United States have 
purchased long-term care insurance; 
Whereas the Department of Commerce has reported that sav-
ings as a percentage of after-tax income declined from 
approximately 8 percent in 1992 to close to zero since 
2005; 
Whereas in 2005 the Government Accountability Office re-
ported that spending on long-term care services solely for 
the elderly is projected to grow at least 2.5 times and 
could grow to $379,000,000,000 in 2050; 
Whereas the Government Accountability Office has reported 
that many people in the United States have neared im-
poverishment by depleting their assets to pay the signifi-
cant costs of their long-term care; 
Whereas it has been estimated that more than 44,000,000 
persons age 18 or older provide unpaid care to another 
adult in any given year; 
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Whereas an estimated 34,000,000 persons age 18 or older 
provide unpaid care to another adult in any given month, 
averaging 21 hours per week, with an estimated value of 
$350,000,000,000 in 2006; 
Whereas advance planning by family members, and support 
for caregivers, will help to protect caregivers’ health, fi-
nancial security, and quality of life; 
Whereas our Nation’s long-term care challenges will signifi-
cantly impact women, who make up more than 58 per-
cent of people in the United States who are 65 years of 
age and older, and greater than two-thirds of people in 
the United States who are 85 years of age and older; 
Whereas encouraging people in the United States to antici-
pate and plan for their future long-term care needs will 
help them achieve greater health and financial security, 
as well as greater independence, choice, and control over 
the services they need in the setting of their choice; and 
Whereas a long-term care awareness week has been observed 
during a week in November, and it would be appropriate 
to observe the week during the third week in November, 
which in 2008 will be the week of November 16, 2008, 
through November 22, 2008: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress— 
(1) supports the goals and ideals of a Long- 
Term Care Awareness Week; 
(2) encourages the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services to continue working to educate peo-
ple in the United States about long-term care; and 
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(3) urges the people of the United States to 
recognize such a week as an opportunity to learn 
more about the potential risks and costs associated 
with long-term care and the options available to help 
meet their long-term care needs. 
Æ 
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