LONG TERM CARE: Clinton Signs Insurance Measure
President Clinton yesterday signed a measure to provide long term care insurance to 13 million federal employees, military personnel, retirees and their families, the Washington Post reports. The new law enables the Office of Personnel Management to negotiate with private insurers to provide an extensive long term care insurance package for the elderly, including personal care, home health care, adult day care, nursing home care and cognitive impairment coverage (Nakashima, 9/20). The measure was passed by Congress before its August recess and delivered to the White House last week. Clinton praised the insurance industry's support for the measure, and said he hoped it would serve as a model for private employers nationwide (Ross, AP/Philadelphia Inquirer). "I believe this will lead into the creation of a market that will benefit people far beyond the reach of the employees and former employees that are covered," Clinton said. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), who sponsored the Senate bill with Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), added, "The federal employees bill is just a crack of the door. We need to open the door wide for everybody else" (Washington Post, 9/20).
One Down, Two to Go
Clinton called the bill "groundbreaking" for its bipartisanship and hoped the effort would help to garner support for the remaining heath initiatives on his agenda before his departure from the White House. "I hope we will continue to build on the spirit embodied by this bill today," Clinton said as he made a pitch for two other White House health care package measures -- his proposed $3,000 tax credit for long term care, and an initiative to provide funding to assist families caring for older relatives (AP/Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/20). The long term care program will take effect no later than October 2002. Start-up costs for the program are estimated at $30 million, with an annual $1 million for contract maintenance (Washington Post, 9/20).