Wow! I hadn't heard of this provision, called CLASS, in the health care bill!

[CTyankee]

http://www.aolnews.com/healthcare/article/few-know-health-care-law-has-class/19413357?icid=main|main|dl1|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolnews.com%2Fhealthcare%2Farticle%2Ffew-know-health-care-law-has-class%2F19413357

Affordable long term home care insurance for middle class, what a good idea! Having cared for an elderly mother while holding down a full time job, I know the drill well. And, if we are lucky enough to have our loved ones live a long time, aging and disabiility is one tough go...

[fasttense]

1. Since you are looking through the contents of the Health Care bill, did you happen to see

any death panels in it?

I was really looking forward to them.

[Robb]

4. In the new bill it's more of a "death triptych"

...Hieronymus Bosch sort of thing. :D

[lamp_shade]

2. Mom spent the last year of her life in a nursing home. It cost a brazillion dollars and medicaid

picked up most of the tab. For a WHOLE LOT LESS, she could have stayed home but we couldn't afford the help it would have required.

[orleans]

13. i was told that if my mom had to go on medicaid the state would take her house

when she died! (and i live here too...) she would have had to go on medicaid if she stayed in a nursing home...
we were going to bring her home for hospice--my daughter was going to take over my business so i could take care of my mom 24/7. sadly, it never got that far. i lost her two weeks after she went to the hospital--we didn't even know she was "sick"

[lamp_shade]

14. Mom is (was) in Massachusetts. Everything was in my stepfather's name. They had to take the Medicaid

Test which they passed. They lost nothing. She had to turn over her SS and Pension checks to Medicaid (except for about $20/month). I think the rules are different depending on the state.

[Cetacea]

3. It really is a CLASS Act

Shining in near obscurity.

[DURHAM D]

5. The program has to fund itself via a large number of enrollees.

I don't see how this could possibly be successful. It also appears to be limited to in-home care.

[CTyankee]

6. Maybe not but something had to be done. At least this is a stab at it...

with more and more people staying alive longer, it is now crucially important...

[fasttense]

7. And yet another use for the promised death panels. n/t

[CTyankee]

8. Isn't it funny? We Dems propose a middle class long term care policy

and the pukes are in full cry about death panels...UNreal...

[NotThisTime]

9. I had heard about it, we certainly could have used it when my FIL lived with us w/alzheimers

We cared for him until the end and only had a nurse at the very very end... course we had to pay for her help at night out of pocket...... we needed sleep however, so it was necessary.

[Cleita]

10. My mom and I had to do the same for my dad, pay for help out of

pocket. I could have used a day off now and then when I had to do home dialysis for my husband too. When my time comes, it looks like my family will have an easier time of it I hope.

[karynnj]

11. This was something Kennedy fought for for years

In addition to the Class Act, Kerry fought for more money for home health care payments within Medicare. http://kerry.senate.gov/cfm/record.cfm?id=321451

[ScottAOlsonLTC]

12. there are 2 minor factual errors in the AOL News piece

There are 2 minor factual errors in the AOL News piece. The CLASS Act premiums are not cheaper for younger people (versus older people). The premiums are only cheaper for those who are full-time students under the age of 22 or those who earn less than the (FPL) federal poverty level. All others will pay the same premium regardless of their age.

A 23-year old who is earning above the FPL will pay the same premium for the CLASS Act benefits as a 69-year old who is still working. Additionally, the projected CLASS Act premiums are considerably higher than a comparable long term care insurance policy. The reason the projected CLASS Act premiums might seem cheaper is because the CLASS Act will pay an average Daily Benefit of about $50. The average long term care policy pays about $175 per day.

Those who are already retired will not be able to participate in the CLASS Act program.

The law requires that in order to qualify for benefits, one must pay premiums for 5 years AND must be working for at least 3 of those 5 years.

The CLASS Act will not be an option for those who are already disabled (and unable to work) or those who are retired and do not want to work.

The healthcare reform bill requires that the CLASS Act program:
• be actuarially sound,
• not funded by taxes, but all benefits must be paid from the premiums of the participants in the program, and
• Anyone who is working can enroll in the program, regardless of their health history.

The premiums that have been proposed by federal actuaries for the program are 2 to 3 times more expensive than a comparable long term care insurance policy.