October 28th, 2009
WASHINGTON — House health care legislation expected within days is likely to include a new long-term care insurance program to help seniors and disabled people stay out of nursing homes, senior Democrats say.
The voluntary program would begin to close a gap in the social safety net overlooked in the broader health care debate, but it must overcome objections from insurance companies that sell long-term care coverage and from fiscal conservatives.
“I’m pretty confident that it will be in there,” Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., a leading sponsor, said of the provision.
More than 10 million people currently need long-term care services, a number that’s only expected to grow as the baby boom generation ages. But most families whose elders can no longer care for themselves have to scrape to find a solution.
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