CLASS Act post mortem continues

Even though the administration made clear it no longer intends to proceed with the implementation of the long-term care insurance program, Republican opponents are pushing hard for its actual repeal. Meanwhile, supporters continue to ask questions about why the administration opted to not move forward.

The Hill: GOP To Pressure Obama To Support Repealing CLASS Act
House Republicans will use Wednesday's hearing on the health care law's CLASS Act to ramp up support for its repeal, lawmakers told The Hill. The hearing by two Energy and Commerce panels is the first time lawmakers will consider the long-term health care act since the Obama administration announced it couldn't find a way to make the program work. Earlier this month, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said officials were indefinitely suspending the program. That is expected to be the program's death knell, but the White House is against a formal repeal (Pecquet, 10/25).

Politico Pro: HHS: Better To Stop CLASS Than Let It Fail
"One of the main reasons we decided not to move forward with CLASS at this time is that we know no one would be hurt more if CLASS started and failed than the people who had paid into it and were counting on it the most," Assistant Secretary for Aging Kathy Greenlee will tell a joint hearing of the Energy and Commerce health and oversight subcommittees, according to the written testimony she submitted in advance of the hearing. The administration has faced nagging questions from Republicans -; as well as from the program's staunchest advocates -; about its decision to halt CLASS Act implementation almost two weeks ago. Republicans on Wednesday plan to bombard Greenlee and HHS Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation Sherry Glied with questions about why the CLASS Act made it into the final health reform package despite early warnings from within the administration about the program's fiscal sustainability (Millman, 10/25).