ABSTRACT
The Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) provisions included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) establish a publically sponsored, voluntary long-term care insurance (LTCI) option for all working adults (Miller, 2011). In many ways this is a remarkable
accomplishment (Manard, 2010). The ideas underlying CLASS had been around for many years without getting much traction. A cash program that was available to anyone, including those already disabled, was not seen as workable to private insurers. Nonetheless, the late Senator Kennedy and his staff successfully pushed to have CLASS included in the ACA, leaving many key details to be determined by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Secretary.
