Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign proposal to add home health care to Medicare was a sign of the program’s growing power in American politics.

Harris said the additional cost to cover home health aides would be borne by expanding Medicare drug price negotiations. Right now, Medicare covers at-home skilled nursing care, home health aides and certain limited other services solely in specific circumstances. Families largely provide the care themselves or foot the bill.

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has backed an earth-shattering idea: For the first time, traditional Medicare would pay for personal assistance at home and related long-term care. Currently, only Medicaid and certain Medicare managed care programs provide long-term care benefits.