Senate GOP attempts to officially undo CLASS Act

An attempt to bring up a bill to fast-track efforts to repeal the CLASS Act was beaten back by Democrats. But the AARP and 50 other advocacy groups sent a letter to lawmakers asking them not to touch the measure.

Politico Pro: CLASS Act Repeal Maneuver Fails In Senate
Senate Democrats beat back an effort by Sen. John Thune to push through repeal of the CLASS Act on Wednesday afternoon. Thune (R-S.D.) tried to fast-track his bill to eliminate the CLASS Act by bringing it up through unanimous consent, pointing to the Obama administration's decision to halt implementation of the financially troubled program (Millman and Haberkorn, 11/2).

The Hill: Senate GOP Pushes For CLASS Repeal
Senate Republicans on Wednesday made the case for repealing the health care reform law's CLASS program. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), the sponsor of a bill to repeal CLASS, said the program was a "gimmick" used to make the health care law more affordable. CLASS accounted for about 40 percent of the deficit reduction attributed to the health law. The program would have provided insurance for long-term care. "There are perhaps lots of other gimmicks that we're going to uncover," Thune said during a colloquy with fellow Republicans (Baker, 11/2).

The Hill: AARP Joins 50 Groups Opposing Repeal Of The Long-Term-Care Act
The powerful seniors' lobby AARP on Wednesday joined more than 50 disability rights groups, unions and other advocates in letters urging House and Senate leaders not to repeal the health care law's long-term-care CLASS Act. Republicans have vowed to hold votes on repealing the program after the Obama administration announced last month that it could not find a way to make it solvent. The GOP controls the House and could schedule a vote at its leisure, while the Senate sponsor of repeal legislation -; Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) -; said he is actively looking for a bill that could support a repeal amendment (Pecquet, 11/2).