CLASS Act

Although people of all ages can fall ill or become disabled, disability rates increase with age. About two‐thirds of today’s 65‐year‐olds are expected to need long‐term services and supports to help them carry out these tasks at some point during their lives. http://www.cms.gov/partnerships/downloads/LTCdropin.pdf

Many of those who need long‐term services and supports end up in nursing homes. Nursing home stays are expensive, however: the average monthly cost for nursing home care is nearly $5,000. http://www.cms.gov/partnerships/downloads/LTCdropin.pdf

Eliminating CLASS does not reduce the deficit – it adds to it. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office found that CLASS will reduce federal deficits by $83 billion over the next 10 years, including both premium income and Medicaid savings.

According to a joint Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard School of Public Health poll, 76 percent of Americans support CLASS ‐ including 69 percent of Republicans, 71 percent of Independents and 87 percent of Democrats. $2.2 billion – Amount of federal Medicaid savings CLASS will provide, as estimated by CBO.

Eliminating CLASS is a lose‐lose‐lose proposition for American families. It prevents them from buying insurance against the need for long‐term care, makes the deficit worse, and pays for it by cutting assistance programs that could be a backstop without that insurance.

Talk to your members of Congress about the benefits of the CLASS program and give American taxpayers the opportunity to responsibly plan for their long term services and support needs before it is too late. For more information go to: http://www.advanceclass.org.