Thinking About Health

Is the U.S. ready for a discussion about paying for caregiving, an increasingly vexing and costly problem for a growing number of Americans?

The answer may be “yes.” It has become obvious that long-term-care insurance is not the answer to paying for nursing home and other kinds of care for the elderly. Sales for this product have been declining, the result of sky-high premiums, rate increases and the difficulty of qualifying for a policy if you’re sick.

But the elderly are not the only Americans needing care. At the other end of the age spectrum, paying for childcare is becoming harder and har...