The Class Act...Gotta Love The Terms They Use

We now have, or soon will have government health care. So, what about when you are not ready to go back home following a stay in the hospital after a significant medical problem? Enter The Class Act.

"The Class Act, otherwise known as the Community Living Assistance Services and Support Act, is the federal government's first long-term care insurance program."

Well, behind our backs Congress slipped in our "get better at home with our Home Healthcare plan that you peasents can pay for whether you want it or not" plan.

According to the article from Fox News:

"...the program will allow workers to have an average of roughly $150 or $240 a month, based on age and salary, automatically deducted from their paycheck to save for long-term care."
I'm thinking that this will break many people as they are living from paycheck to paycheck. Taking out an additional $1800 - $2880 per year will break many of household budgets.
"Supporters say the program will relieve pressure on Medicaid and should help keep us out of nursing homes by enabling Americans to save for something most will eventually need -- assistance in eating, bathing or dressing in their old age."
"Keep us out of nursing homes", which means you will have an aide come in every other day for an hour, and maybe Physical Therapy three time a week. Who will take care of you after that?

"Scheduled to go into effect in January, actual deductions could take place in 2012."
It goes into effect in January, but we don't pay into it until 2012? I guess this will give employees a year to budget for the loss.

Per Fox News...Here's how the program will work:


-- The federal government will approach employers next year about alerting workers to the proposed deduction.


-- The deduction will work on a sliding scale based on age. Younger workers will be charged less, older workers more. The Congressional Budget Office pegged the average monthly deduction at $146. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services put it higher, at $240.


-- After a five-year vesting period, enrollees who need help bathing, eating or dressing will be eligible to take out benefits, estimated to be around $75 a day for in-home care.
$75 doesn't get you much for home health services today. Don't know what the new home healthcare rates will be under Obamacare.

"This is a scary proposition where the government passed a huge new entitlement program with gimmicks and tricks and the American people don't know they will be automatically enrolled in it by their employer if they don’t watch out," said Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA).
"This creates a whole new bureaucracy that is going to break this country," Nunes said. "In the early years there will be money in it, but at the end of the day there won't be enough money to cover the problems because there will be too many people in the program."
I can't add anything here that wasn't said by Rep. Nunes

The statute says the program is designed to be self-sustaining, with an advisory board to assure the fund remains solvent. But opponents say the fine print already tells another story. Unless modifications are made, according to a CBO analysis of the bill, "the program will add to future federal budget deficits in a large and growing fashion."

Self-sustaining...hmm, kind of like Social Security which is now broke, paying more out that collecting. Sure it is. If it is self-sustaining then why does the CBO say it will add to the federal budget deficits...IN A LARGE AND GROWING FASHION!