The Senate Finance Committee is planning to meet today to hear arguments in support of including long-term care services and supports in an overarching healthcare reform strategy.
Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and ranking member Charles Grassley (R-IA) will host witnesses from the Center for American Progress Action Fund, the National Governors Association and the Heritage Foundation, as well as hear testimony from members of their own committee. Capitol Hill insiders expect an announcement at the hearing that the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act, which would establish a national insurance program to help pay for those with long-term care costs, will be reintroduced in Congress.
Also in conjunction with the hearing, the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging will be conducting a “Contact Congress” drive. The association has asked both its members and the public at large to call their legislators today and ask that long-term care services and supports be included in healthcare reform. For more information on that drive, visit www.aahsa.org.
