Long Term Services and Supports are at Stake

Take action,
today to make sure
long term services and supports
stay in health care reform legislation

Halloween is this weekend, but the ghosts of misinformation are already spooking Senators in Washington! The life and long-term care insurance industry is pulling out all the stops to kill the CLASS Act provision in the Senate health care bill. Certain Senators are opposed to the CLASS Act and their opposition appears to be based on incorrect information supplied by the life and long term care insurance industry.

Clichéd holiday metaphors aside, we need you to act now to counter the powerful lobbyists trying to kill the CLASS Act. Only our strength in numbers can counter their well-financed attack. We must demonstrate powerful grassroots action to the Senators who do not support its inclusion in health care reform.

United Cerebral Palsy cannot stress strongly enough the urgent need for your advocacy

Is your Senator listed below? If so, he/she needs to hear from you now! It is critical that we gain their support. Time is of the essence, so please call or fax your message as soon as possible. See message points at the end of this alert for your convenience. Simply add your contact information so they understand that you are a constituent.

• Louisiana: Mary Landrieu: Phone: 202-224-5824; fax: 202-224-9735
• Virginia: Mark Warner: Phone: 202-224-2023; fax: 202-224-6295
• Nebraska: Ben Nelson: Phone: 202-224-6551; fax: 202-228-0012
• Indiana: Evan Bayh: Phone: 202-224-5623; fax: 202-228-1377
• Arkansas: Blanche Lincoln: Phone-202-224-4843; fax-202-228-1371
• North Dakota: Kent Conrad: Phone- 202-224-2043; fax-202-224-7776
• Connecticut: Joe Lieberman: Phone- 202-224-2823; fax-202-224-1083

What Will the CLASS Act do?

The CLASS Act will create a voluntary public insurance program for long-term care services that will be available to working adults. The benefit can be used to pay for services and supports such as home modifications or personal care services that assist with continued community living. The CLASS Act will be fully financed by enrollee premiums, so it will not add to the federal deficit. Benefits will vary by level of disability. With an average cash benefit level of $75 a day, the program will be sustainable with monthly premiums that average $123. For full-time students and those with incomes below the poverty level, the premiums will be much lower.

Why Will It Make a Difference?

• The CLASS program will provide more reliable and more accessible assistance with the costs of home- and community-based care than most other long-term care coverage options that are available today.
• The program will not deny coverage or charge a higher premium based on health status, like private insurance can. CLASS is also a lifetime benefit; private insurance often limits the dollars or time period covered.
• A $75-a-day benefit translates to $27,000 a year. While that may not pay for all of the care that someone needs, it can be a substantial contribution. The benefit will be adjusted to increase with inflation, something that not all private long-term care insurance policies do.
• The CLASS program will keep many people from spending down their assets in order to qualify for Medicaid.

For more information, see www.passtheclassact.org

If you have any questions about the CLASS provision in the healthcare reform, or about the process in general, contact Marty Ford, Director of Legal Advocacy, or Annie Acosta, Director of Communications and Grassroots Advocacy, for UCP and The Arc at 202-783-2229 or by e-mail at: ford@thedpc.org and acosta@thedpc.org.

Take Action

Write your Senator by following this link.

Call your Senator using the information above and the talking points below.

Or

Send a fax to your Senators and Representative. To get their fax numbers, follow this link and then enter your zip code to locate your elected officials.

Talking Points

1. I'm calling/ writing to help make sure long-term services and supports are part of health care reform.
2. The Community First Choice Option and the CLASS Act will improve access to home and community-based services, promote personal responsibility, sustain Medicaid, and help individuals and families. Both bills should be included in the final Senate Health Reform bill.

Write your Senator

Dear Senator:

The disability and aging communities - representing the communities most affected by changes in long term services programs in America - are working together to get the CLASS Act and the Community First Choice Option included in the Senate healthcare reform bill.  The CLASS Act is good public policy and fiscally sound.   I want you to know that as a constituent, I strongly urge you to support the inclusion of the CLASS Act in the Senate healthcare reform legislation.

People with disabilities shouldn't be forced into poverty to be able to get help with long-term care needs.

Please include the CLASS Act in the Senate health reform bill.

Thank you.

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