; half of these workers were forced to cut their leaves short due to financial constraints. (4) Only 14 percent of all workers had access to paid family leave in 2016 and it was available to only 4 percent of people working in the lowest paying jobs. Workers who lack paid family and medical leave face lost wages or even job loss when they miss work because of their own illness or to care for an ill child or parent. In this way, access to paid family and medical leave plays a critical role in families’ efforts to maintain employment and economic security. (5) Caregiving has a high value but also comes at a high cost for family caregivers. Working families in the United States lose an estimated $20,600,000,000 in wages each year due to lack of access to paid family and medical leave. (6) The estimated value of unpaid family care provided in 2013 was $470,000,000,000. Family caregivers face financial, physical and emotional hardships, and in many cases their careers, incomes, and retirement security suffer because of their family responsibilities. (7) The average worker age 50 and older who leaves the workforce to care for an elderly parent loses more than $300,000 in earnings and retirement income. Working caregivers should not have to risk their family’s economic security to fulfill their caregiving obligations. (8) The population aged 65 and over is expected to double over the next few decades. The number of people with chronic conditions is expected to reach nearly 160,000,000 by 2020. Many of these individuals will at some point require family care, and for older workers still in the workforce, many will need time off at some point to address serious health conditions. (9) Ensuring working family caregivers have paid family leave to care for ailing elders could drive down Medicare costs by decreasing recurrences of ailments and re-admittance into hospitals. (10) Many workers are forced to quickly return to work after the birth or arrival of a child because they have no access to paid family and medical leave.