; half of these workers were forced to cut their leaves short due to financial constraints. (4) Only 17 percent of all workers had access to paid family leave in 2017 and it was available to only 5 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) By 2030, one in five United States residents will have reached retirement age, and individuals 65 and older are projected to outnumber those under the age of 18 for the first time in the history of the United States. The number of potential family caregivers for each person age 80 and older will fall from 7:1 in 2010 to fewer than 3:1 by 2050. Additionally, 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