Sen. Edward Kennedy
Earlier today, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Reps. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and John Dingell (D-Mich.) reintroduced the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act of 2009, which would create an insurance program for adults who become functionally disabled.
Not unlike our Long-Term Care Solution, the bill would create a national insurance trust, which would provide a cash benefit to help obtain services and supports. That cash benefit would allow those with disabilities to have more choices and opportunities in how and where they choose to live.
“As America continues to age, we are faced with an impending crisis in long-term care that has been ignored for too long,” Pallone said in a release. “As we work to reform our health care system, we must not forget those Americans in need of community services. The CLASS Act offers a new approach that is smart and compassionate. It will give those with functional disabilities the means to maintain their lifestyles, to stay with their families and to remain productive members of their communities.”
The insurance trust would be financed by voluntary payroll deductions. A person 18 years or older would be qualified to receive benefits after five years of contribution to the program. Under the measure, all working adults would be automatically enrolled in the program, unless they choose to opt out.
“The bill we propose is a long overdue effort to offer greater dignity, greater hope, and greater opportunity,” Kennedy said. “It makes a simple pact with all Americans – ‘If you work hard and contribute, society will take care of you when you fall on hard times.”
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May 6, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Health Reform: An Inch or Eight Years Away « The Future of Aging Blog
[...] Specific letters of support are needed for Sen. Kennedy’s CLASS Act of 2009, because it is a symbol of our [...]
June 8, 2009 at 11:03 pm
Senate Committee Hold Briefing on Health Care and Long-Term Services and Supports « The Future of Aging Blog
[...] of the HELP Committee, is expected later this week to introduce a reform bill that includes the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act of 2009, a measure that would help much of this sandwich generation by creating a national insurance trust [...]
June 10, 2009 at 9:51 pm
HELP Committee Unveils Affordable Health Choices Act « The Future of Aging Blog
[...] I’ve noted before, the CLASS Act would establish a national voluntary insurance program that would provide a cash [...]
June 17, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Long-Term Services and Supports Making Headlines « The Future of Aging Blog
[...] to Langel, the coalition’s effort has paid off in the form of the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act and the Empowered at Home Act “both of which will likely be a part of final health [...]
July 16, 2009 at 5:54 pm
The Ends of the Earth « The Future of Aging Blog
[...] services and supports need to be financed through a national insurance pool as reflected in the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act of 2009 provisions of the bill from the Senate Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions [...]
August 17, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Party With a Purpose: the Abernethy Ten « The Future of Aging Blog
[...] health care reform will be incomplete unless it creates a new insurance-based program such as the CLASS Act, to help people pay for the services they need, when they need them, and in the place they call [...]
October 12, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Washington Update « The Future of Aging Blog
[...] be merged with the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee measure that contains the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) plan. After that, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) will have to score the merged [...]
October 27, 2009 at 2:51 pm
AP Publishes Article on CLASS Act « The Future of Aging Blog
[...] Kaiser Family Foundation, long-term care, reform | by Craig Collins-Young This morning, the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act of 2009 received some more positive media coverage. The Associated Press published an [...]
November 19, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Combined Senate Healthcare Bill Includes CLASS Act « The Future of Aging Blog
[...] is a great buzz going around the AAHSA building today, as the combined bill includes the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act , which would create a national insurance trust, which would provide a modest cash benefit to [...]
November 20, 2009 at 9:05 pm
Sandy Lia
Government will save dollars by investing in services that seniors and disabled adults might receive in their homes or by attending an adult day service program.
December 14, 2009 at 4:24 am
Healthy Disrespect « Mike The Rhino
[...] he wants class act, a national insurance trust which would give a cash benefit for those who are “functionally disabled”, done away with, and he dislikes the medicare buy [...]