Bruce Chernof to lead new LTC Commission

Members of Congress created the commission to fill the gap left the official repeal of the CLASS Act, a provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) that was supposed to create a voluntary long-term care benefits program for workers.

Critics of the program said the program — which would have been open to workers who already suffered from severe disabilities — would have been financially unsustainable, and officials at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) eventually agreed that they could not guarantee the long-term solvency of the program.

Members of Congress allocated control over appointments to committee seats to the White House and to the minority and majority leaders in the House and the Senate.

Nine of the members were picked by the White House or congressional Democrats, and six by Republicans, officials said.

The committee is supposed to try to develop a “plan for the establishment, implementation, and financing of a comprehensive, coordinated, and high-quality system that ensures the availability of long-term services and supports for individuals in need.”

See also:

• Hawaii forms public LTCI study bill conference committee
• The most exciting committee you’ve never heard of
• Fiscal cliff bill slams CO-OPs, creates LTC panel