On October 18, 2024, The Nation reported on Vice President Kamala Harris’s evolving vision for enhancing the care economy in the United States. Recently highlighted by The New York Times, Harris and philanthropist Melinda French-Gates are contemplating a joint event focused on this topic. Harris has already advocated for expanding home care benefits within Medicare, signaling an emphasis on care-related issues.
In early 2020, Yale colleagues Gregg Gonsalves and Amy Kapczynski wrote a series of articles in the Boston Review, identifying the lack of infrastructure for care as a significant problem exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. They highlighted the absence of support systems that could help individuals manage crises and advocated for establishing a public health corps to support communities during the pandemic and beyond.
The care crisis in the U.S. precedes COVID-19 and reflects systemic issues in areas like child and elder care, paid leave, and economic systems that prioritize productivity. Such systems often marginalize women of color, who bear a disproportionate share of care duties while inadequate services streamline vulnerable populations into the criminal justice and public hospital systems.
Gonsalves applauds the focus on care from influential figures like Harris and Gates, acknowledging the challenges in effecting significant policy changes. Critics may argue against affordability, but reports suggest that neglecting the care crisis could cost the U.S. economy significantly.
The discussion about comprehensive care systems parallels broader debates about governing for human and social flourishing. Harris and Gates’ contributions to the care economy conversation are particularly significant amidst proposals from conservatives, who aim to address the care crisis through initiatives inspired by family-centric models like that of Hungary’s Viktor Orbán.
The article concludes with the assertion that there is a choice to either allow the right to dominate the care narrative with a narrow vision or to support and shape the growing perspectives championed by Harris and Gates. These efforts can center on both immediate policies and long-term strategies to create an inclusive and equitable economy, essential for thriving in modern society.
