HouseH.R. 8867119th Congress

PLAN Act of 2026

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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8867 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8867

  To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and 
  implement, as part of the National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care 
Information, a public education initiative on the need for individuals 
       to plan for their long-term care, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 15, 2026

    Mr. Suozzi (for himself and Mr. Bean of Florida) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for 
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
  To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and 
  implement, as part of the National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care 
Information, a public education initiative on the need for individuals 
       to plan for their long-term care, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    The Act may be cited as the ``Planning for Long-term Aging Needs 
Act of 2026'' or the ``PLAN Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. LONG-TERM CARE PUBLIC EDUCATION INITIATIVE.

    (a) National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information.--Section 
6021(d) of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 1396p note) is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (4); and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
            ``(3) Long-term care public education initiative.--
                    ``(A) In general.--As part of the National 
                Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information, the 
                Secretary shall develop and implement a public 
                education initiative on the need for individuals to 
                plan for their long-term care (in this paragraph 
                referred to as the `initiative').
                    ``(B) Goals.--The goals of the initiative shall 
                be--
                            ``(i) to educate the public, including 
                        adults of working age (including individuals 
                        with disabilities), about the need to plan for 
                        future long-term care needs during retirement;
                            ``(ii) to ensure the public has accurate, 
                        objective information about their long-term 
                        care risks and care options, including home- 
                        and community-based services and institutional 
                        care;
                            ``(iii) to provide objective and accessible 
                        resources to help the public evaluate 
                        financial, housing, caregiving, and service-
                        related planning options related to long-term 
                        care, including advance planning before 
                        retirement age, information on long-term care 
                        partnership programs, and available Federal and 
                        State resources; and
                            ``(iv) to make these resources accessible 
                        for family caregivers who may be helping a 
                        loved one plan for long-term care needs.
                    ``(C) Contents.--The initiative shall include--
                            ``(i) traditional media outreach through 
                        television, radio, digital platforms, and print 
                        materials;
                            ``(ii) digital outreach, including social 
                        media outreach, using diverse engagement 
                        strategies that may include short- and long-
                        form videos, interactive online resources, 
                        livestreamed discussions, infographics, visual 
                        storytelling, case studies of individuals with 
                        lived long-term care experiences, and other 
                        resources;
                            ``(iii) community-based education programs 
                        delivered through partnerships with--
                                    ``(I) State governors, State and 
                                local elected representatives, and 
                                State and local government agencies;
                                    ``(II) area agencies on aging, 
                                aging and disability resource centers, 
                                centers for independent living, State 
                                units on aging, State councils on 
                                developmental disabilities, and 
                                caregiver support organizations and 
                                resource centers;
                                    ``(III) other Federal agencies, as 
                                necessary; and
                                    ``(IV) other external partners, 
                                such as--
                                            ``(aa) healthcare 
                                        providers, employers, insurers, 
                                        financial advisors, and trade 
                                        associations;
                                            ``(bb) community 
                                        organizations, nonprofit 
                                        organizations, and 
                                        universities; and
                                            ``(cc) non-traditional 
                                        messengers, such as social 
                                        media influencers and community 
                                        leaders;
                            ``(iv) linguistically accessible materials 
                        for different populations;
                            ``(v) online resources and planning tools 
                        accessible to individuals with disabilities; 
                        and
                            ``(vi) targeted outreach to populations at 
                        higher risk for long-term care financing 
                        shortfalls, such as low- to middle-income 
                        individuals who cannot access Medicaid but are 
                        unable to self-finance long-term care.
                    ``(D) Partnerships.--The Secretary shall establish 
                partnerships, including funding partnerships, with 
                State and local governments, private sector 
                stakeholders, and nonprofit organizations for the 
                purpose of enhancing the reach and effectiveness of the 
                initiative.
                    ``(E) Reports to congress.--
                            ``(i) Initial report.--Not later than one 
                        year after the date of enactment of the PLAN 
                        Act of 2026, the Secretary shall transmit to 
                        Congress a report containing a plan developed 
                        by the Secretary for implementation of the 
                        initiative, including--
                                    ``(I) performance metrics;
                                    ``(II) target populations;
                                    ``(III) anticipated outcomes;
                                    ``(IV) a review of prior Federal 
                                and State public education efforts 
                                related to long-term care planning, 
                                including the Own Your Future Long-Term 
                                Care Awareness Campaign, and an 
                                assessment of how lessons learned from 
                                prior efforts should inform and improve 
                                the design and implementation of the 
                                initiative; and
                                    ``(V) opportunities to integrate 
                                long-term care education materials into 
                                Federal initiatives and communications 
                                to the public, such as retirement 
                                planning materials, outreach to new 
                                parents, financial literacy efforts, 
                                and web-based materials from government 
                                agencies, such as the Social Security 
                                Administration and the Centers for 
                                Medicare and Medicaid Services.
                            ``(ii) Subsequent annual reports.--Not 
                        later than one year after the date of 
                        transmission of the report under clause (i), 
                        and annually thereafter during the period of 
                        the initiative, the Secretary shall transmit to 
                        Congress a report on the progress made by the 
                        Secretary in implementing the initiative during 
                        the prior year, including--
                                    ``(I) data on the number of 
                                individuals reached by the initiative;
                                    ``(II) information on changes in 
                                the level of public awareness regarding 
                                the need to plan for long-term care;
                                    ``(III) evidence of increased long-
                                term care planning behaviors among 
                                target populations; and
                                    ``(IV) recommendations for 
                                improving the initiative in future 
                                years, including opportunities to 
                                enhance outreach for, partnerships for, 
                                and public awareness of long-term care 
                                planning.
                    ``(F) Funding.--Amounts appropriated to carry out 
                section 411 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 
                U.S.C. 3032) shall be available for conducting the 
                activities under this paragraph.''.
    (b) Program Authorization Under Older Americans Act of 1965.--
Section 411(a)(9) of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 
3032(a)(9)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in subparagraph (C), by adding ``and'' at the end; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(D) activities to develop and implement the long-
                term care public education initiative authorized under 
                paragraph (3) of section 6021(d) of the Deficit 
                Reduction Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 1396p note);''.
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