In a letter to Congress on October 14, 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that the 2010 health care reform law's long-term care provisions will not be implemented.

 

The Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act program, part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, was intended to provide a basic lifetime benefit of at least $50 a day in the event of illness or disability. The program planned to be a national voluntary, self-funded program but was financially unsustainable without major government subsidies.

 

Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), told Congressional leaders, "I do not see a viable path forward for...implementation at this time."

"The challenge that CLASS was created to address is not going away," added Sebelius. "By 2020, we know that an estimated 15 million Americans will need some kind of long-term care and fewer than 3 percent have a long-term care policy." 

Republicans charged that the program's unraveling was the first step in dismantling the entire health care reform law, while Democrats contended that the CLASS Act stood apart from the rest of the health care overhaul.

 

Generation Y is taking over the world and the workplace-and employers who want to attract, engage and retain this huge workforce need to understand its preferences and communication styles, especially when it comes to workplace benefits.  more...