Universal Family Care: Policy Options for Families in the 21st Century

Release of National Academy of Social Insurance Study Panel Report on Designing Universal Family Care: State-Based Social Insurance Programs for Early Child Care and Education, Paid Family and Medical Leave, and Long-Term Services and Supports

June 24, 2019 | 1 - 4 pm | National Press Club

Family members are often the first people we turn to when we need care, and, in return, they rely on us in their times of need. Yet providing care has become unmanageable for many families – or only at tremendous cost to people’s emotional, physical and financial health. As care needs, the labor market, and family structures continue to evolve, policymakers and advocates are seeking broad solutions to strengthen the economic security of working families across the nation.

Attendees joined us for the release of a special report by the National Academy of Social Insurance, which examines a number of different policy options that states can implement under the umbrella of Universal Family Care: a strong foundation of social insurance programs that would innovatively pool the costs of care across the lifespan, enabling families to access and afford the care they need to work and live well at every stage of life.

Speakers presented the policy options identified in the report and discuss their implications for families, workers, states, and the economy.

Read the full report.

Agenda

1:00pm │ Welcoming Remarks

William J. Arnone, CEO, National Academy of Social Insurance

1:05pm │ The Vision for Universal Family Care

Ai-Jen Poo, Co-Director, Caring Across Generations; MacArthur Fellow

1:20pm │ Overview of Study Panel Work and Report

Benjamin Veghte, Academy Study Panel Director; Research Director, Caring Across Generations

PRESENTATION OF STUDY PANEL FINDINGS:
POLICY OPTIONS FOR STATES TO IMPROVE CARE INFRASTRUCTURE

1:25pm │ State Decision Points in Creating Universal Long-Term Services & Supports, Paid Family & Medical Leave, and Early Child Care & Education

Moderator: Anna Wadia, Senior Program Officer, Future of Work, Ford Foundation
Marc Cohen, Panel Co-Chair and Co-Director, LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston; Research Director, Center for Consumer Engagement in Health Innovation, Community Catalyst
Heidi Hartmann, Panel Co-Chair and President and CEO, Institute for Women’s Policy Research; Economist in Residence, American University; MacArthur Fellow
Alexandra Bradley, Lead Policy Analyst, Academy Study Panel

2:15pm │ An Integrated Approach: Universal Family Care

Moderator: Anna Wadia, Senior Program Officer, Future of Work, Ford Foundation
Benjamin Veghte, Academy Study Panel Director; Research Director, Caring Across Generations
Indivar Dutta-Gupta, Co-Executive Director, Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality
Henry Claypool, Policy Director, Community Living Policy Center, University of California, San Francisco
Robert Espinoza, Vice President of Policy, PHI (Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute)

3:10pm | Discussion of Findings: Implications for Families, States, and the Economy

Moderator: Sarita Gupta, Co-Director, Caring Across Generations
Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, President and CEO, Global Policy Solutions
Heather Boushey, Executive Director and Chief Economist, Washington Center for Equitable Growth
Ray Pepin, Disability Insurance (TDI) Administrator, Rhode Island Department of Labor & Training
Jean Accius, AARP Senior Vice President, Thought Leadership and International Affairs (Interim)