Wisconsin's Elder Care Crisis: A Swing State's Turning Point

Vice President Kamala Harris is showing no signs of repeating Hillary Clinton's 2016 miss in Wisconsin. She's been visiting the state a lot lately, and Tuesday's big announcement on ABC's "The View" might just be her game-changer. She revealed a plan to extend Medicare coverage to include long-term care, aptly named "Medicare at Home." This comes at a crucial time because Wisconsin is quickly becoming a state where the elderly population is booming. In five years, the number of Wisconsin residents aged 75 and above is expected to jump by 41 percent. This summer has seen a lot of buzz around nursing homes in Wisconsin. Small towns are fighting back against attempts to privatize county-owned nursing homes. Seniors have been showing up at county board meetings, marching in parades, and making their voices heard. The issue has even caught the attention of the Federal Trade Commission. Two county board chairs who pushed for privatization lost their seats in the spring elections.

A recent poll by Senior Voters for Care Wisconsin found that both Democrats and Republicans, as well as independents, support government efforts to improve elderly care. The most favored solution is raising wages for long-term care workers in rural areas. Expanding Medicaid to cover more people also received high support. Harris' proposal to expand Medicare sounds like a winner. The poll showed that 71 percent of swing voters and 64 percent of independents would favor a candidate with a solid plan for elderly care. With Harris leading among seniors by 3 points over former President Trump, who hasn't addressed the issue yet, this could tip the scales in Wisconsin and beyond. George Goehl, director of Addition Action, has been documenting the fight against privatization among small-town seniors. He highlights the significance of this issue, not just for Wisconsin, but for the entire country.

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