CLASS Act Implementation in Doubt

The CLASS (Community Living Assistance Services and Supports) Act, a part of the last years health care reform bill, may not be implemented after questions were raised about its sustainability.  Designed to keep people with impairments out of nursing homes, the program would pay for services received at home.  One estimate says that the program would cost the Federal government more than the premiums collected would cover by 2025.

The number of HHS staff working on the CLASS Act has been reduced, but there has been no official word on its future.  At the Senate Finance Committee hearing in February, Kathleen Sebelius said “The program will not start unless we can be certain it will be solvent and self-sustaining into the future.”