Baby boomers continue to express concerns about financing long-term care needs at the end of life, and federal spending on care through Medicaid is quickly spiraling out of control. But Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) said he was “gleeful” about the demise of the Affordable Care Act’s CLASS program during an Energy and Commerce hearing this morning. Watch it:
Advocates had hoped that CLASS would serve as a long-term care option for people who need special assistance eating, bathing, or getting dressed, but HHS canceled the program after determining that it did not have the authority to ensure is sustainability. Still, advocates believe that an insurance program that individuals pay into is a much more efficient way of financing long-term care than dumping the problem on the already-strained Medicaid system and continue to urge the Secretary to use her discretion to explore ways of rebuilding the CLASS program. But Gingrey, a self-professed small government conservative, disagrees.
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