Political Quotes

“We are not prepared, either as families or as a society, to pay for the long-term care supports and services most of us will need before we die. Today 10 million Americans require some level of long-term assisted care, and that number is on pace to triple as the Baby Boom generation ages. Annual costs top more than $200 billion, and that doesn't count the time and energy of family caregivers. The growing demand and costs for long term care cannot be ignored, yet that is precisely what this legislation does. Not only does this legislation repeal the voluntary, self-supporting long-term care insurance program created by the Affordable Care Act, but it also repeals funding for the national clearinghouse of information on long-term care services that helps seniors, their families and caregivers navigate the maze of options. HHS said it could not implement the CLASS Act as written. It did not say such a program should not be implemented at all. In fact, HHS said that 15 million Americans will require some form of long-term care in 2020, yet fewer than 3 percent will have long-term insurance coverage. It went on to say that allowing that to persist will only increase the burden on taxpayers at a time when we're working to reduce such federal health care costs. Madam Chair, this is nothing more than an ideologically-driven attempt to undermine the President's signature initiative and score political points at the expense of our seniors.…”