Flawed Aid For Long Term Care
The Washington Post has an editorial today about the need for a better long term care solution.
AN ESTIMATED 10 million elderly and disabled Americans need some sort of long-term care and help with the tasks of daily living. That number will grow as America ages. But the only federal program that pays for such services is Medicaid: Individuals who need long-term care have to spend down their assets to become poor enough to qualify. So does it make sense to establish a federal program under which people could buy long-term care insurance? Does it make sense to do this within the context of health reform? The House and Senate proposals contain such a program. We are sympathetic to the need but have doubts about its advisability.
The program, known as the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act, would be an innovative, voluntary insurance program run by the federal government. Employers could choose to have workers automatically enrolled unless they opt out, and premiums would be deducted from their paychecks. After paying in for five years, they would be entitled, if they become disabled, to a cash benefit — at least $50 a day — to pay for the non-medical services they need to remain at home rather than going to a nursing home. The premiums and benefits are required to be set at a level that will ensure the program is actuarially sound for 75 years.
