FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 14, 2011
CONTACT
AARP Media Relations, 202-434-2560
AARP Statement on HHS CLASS Announcement
WASHINGTON—Joyce A. Rogers, Senior Vice President for Government Affairs at AARP today released the following statement on the Department of Health and Human Services announcement on CLASS.
“While we appreciate that the Secretary has recognized the challenge of long term care has not gone away, we’re disappointed that the Secretary has prematurely stated she does not see a path forward to properly implement CLASS. In fact, the CLASS actuarial report established that CLASS can still be designed to be a ‘value proposition,’ although development work still needs to be done. We urge the Administration to continue dialogue and development of a viable path forward.
“Medicare does not cover long-term care, and 70 percent of people age 65 and over will need long-term care services at some point in their lifetime. Families will continue to need a workable long-term care option to protect themselves, and CLASS was meant to help families plan and pay for their long-term care needs. A path forward is essential because the need for long term care will only continue to grow.”
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