Long term care is a difficult issue for so many families. We all want the best care possible for our parents and loved ones.

Unfortunately, Medicare is not set up to provide long-term care for the elderly. This problem is made worse by the fact that Medicare is currently losing money by paying out more in benefits than it is taking in. By 2005, an estimated 9 million Americans will need long-term care.

The problem of the long term care of our older Americans is not going to go away and we need to address this as a national issue. Long-term care insurance offers the best way to ease the difficulty of caring for a relative for a long period of time.

That?s why I cosponsored the Long-Term Care and Retirement Security Act, H.R. 831, to give people greater freedom in choosing how their long-term care needs are met. This bill would provide a 100% above-the-line tax deduction for the purchase of private long-term care insurance and a tax credit of up to $3,000 for folks who care for a relative or friend in their home.

A nation as great as ours must provide better options for the health and well being of our senior citizens. This bill is a good first step to that end.