Christopher Shays: “as a proponent and author of legislation designed to encourage the purchase of private long-term care insurance in…”

“as a proponent and author of legislation designed to encourage the purchase of private long-term care insurance in general, I commend the Subcommittee on Civil Service chairman, the gentleman from Florida, for his hard work on this issue and also the gentleman from Maryland, the ranking member. I would also like to recognize the third part of that triumvirate, the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella), for her longstanding commitment to providing access to private long-term care for Federal employees. The Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan has long been held up as a model of health care delivery. It is really the best in the country. By providing all Federal employees access to private long-term care insurance, we are taking an important step toward recognizing the financial risks posed by long-term care and the need to plan for it. The Long Term Care Security Act that we are debating today, sets an example and encourages non-governmental employers to offer similar benefit options to their employees. Medicare does not pay for long-term care and seniors are forced, as we all know, to spend down their assets to qualify for Medicaid, which provides $33 billion in long-term care services each year for those who have few resources. This has serious financial repercussions for retirees and taxpayers who ultimately pay for long-term care assistance through public programs.”