A debt-reduction framework advanced by the bipartisan “Gang of Six” in the Senate would eliminate the CLASS Act. Provider groups quickly took issue with such efforts.
LeadingAge President and CEO Larry Minnix said ending the nation’s only federally-backed long-term care insurance option would be “shameful.”
“CLASS will save money for individuals, families, states and the federal government over time. More important, it will help people remain independent,” he said.
Republicans Saxby Chambliss (GA) and Tom Coburn (OK), and Democrats Kent Conrad (ND), Dick Durbin (IL), Mark Warner (VA) and Mike Crapo (ID) — announced their plan to Senate colleagues on July 19.
President Obama gave the Gang of Six plan an early nod of approval. It promises to lower the federal deficit by $3.5 trillion over 10 years. The package includes billions of dollars in cuts to the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) also supports killing the CLASS Act.
From the August 01, 2011 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
