Whether you’re doomscrolling or catching the nightly news, the divide in this country feels impossible to miss. Government shutdown concerns aren’t helping things either. But the real story isn’t happening on TV, it’s unfolding at home. Family caregivers are holding up a $600 billion support system that would fall apart without them. Some research even estimate the cost of unpaid caregiving in the U.S. to be closer to $1 trillion. 

And before you think we’ve lost the plot, we dig into the details of two bi-partisian bills below that aim to offer caregivers some financial relief. The amounts are staggering and the question isn’t if we should pay attention, it’s how long we can afford not to.

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Caregiving is universal. It cuts across race, class, and political lines. Yet somehow, the people who do it—11 million Americans caring for someone with dementia, and nearly 63 million total caring for adults—still bear the load and cost alone. And the math isn’t mathing. The National Endowment for Financial Education found caregivers spend about $889 a month out of pocket. 73% rack up debt, drain retirement accounts, or delay their own futures just to keep parents and loved ones afloat.

As challenging as it may be to believe, this is one problem both sides of the aisle agree is worth solving. Two bipartisan bills are on the table right now addressing the very issue:

Together, these bills could ease the very real financial strain caregivers face every day, costs like adult day care, transportation, medications, or home modifications. While a tax credit or HSA flexibility doesn’t erase the sacrifice, it does take the edge off a burden that’s grown unsustainable.

Even with the potential of a government shutdown, momentum is building. Both bills have been referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. And caregiving is hitting the national spotlight. Emma Heming Willis has shared her experience caring for husband, actor Bruce Willis and filmmaker and actor Bradley Cooper’s PBS documentary Caregiving brought millions of viewers into the world of paid and unpaid caregivers. Headlines are finally catching up to what many already know: this isn’t a niche issue. It’s a societal one with real impact. And with 11,000 Americans turning 65 every day, the urgency couldn’t be clearer.

Feeling like you want to get your activist on but also overwhelmed at the thought of adding one more thing to an already overflowing to-do list? We get it and we gotchu. We did the ChatGPTing on your behalf and wrote the letter to send to your Senators and Representatives. You can find deets on how to connect with them here and here. Even in a government shutdown, Congress doesn’t close, it just keeps running with fewer helping hands. Caregivers, feel familiar?  

Helpful care-focused finds we’ve identified and researched so you don’t have to. 

RubyWell helps families figure out if their loved one qualifies for Medicare-covered home health care, then connects them with partner home health agencies so family caregivers can get trained, certified, and paid for the work they’re already doing. 

Why is it Gray Monster approved? Because too often caregivers do the hardest work without recognition or financial relief. RubyWell flips that script.