The Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act (CLASS Act ) would create a national, voluntary disability insurance program  under which: (1) all employees are automatically enrolled, but are allowed to waive enrollment; (2) payroll deductions pay monthly premiums; and (3) two-tiered benefits are provided, based on the level of disability, to purchase nonmedical services and supports that the beneficiary needs to maintain independence. 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jan 19, 2010 - Enactment of comprehensive health reform legislation suffered a serious setback with the election of Republican Scott Brown in Massachussetts.  Without a 60 vote margin, the Democrats will be hard pressed to secure the votes to stop a filibuster.  Senator-Elect Brown has vowed to oppose the health reform bill, depriving Senate Democrats of their filibuster-proof majority.  Immediately following the special election, the White House and the Democratic Congressional leadership began deliberations to develop a back-up plan to enact a health reform bill. One of the options, for the House of Representatives to pass the Senate bill, was temporarily nixed when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, after a meeting with the Democratic Caucus, said that there are not sufficient votes for passing the Senate bill at this time.   In several public statements, President Obama pledged to advocate for passage of health reform this year.

Dec 24, 2009 - By a 60-39 party line vote, the Senate passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  As many commentators have noted, reconciling the Senate and House health care reform bills will be the most challenging part of the road to enactment.  It is not anticipated that House and Senate Conferees will be formally named until further along in the negotiation process.

Dec 21, 2009 - The Senate voted (60-40) to end a Republican filibuster on the manager's amendment to the health care reform bill.  Technically, the vote was to "invoke cloture" or end the debate. 

The Senate will now proceed through two more "cloture" votes before it can vote directly on the revised health reform bill.  The next vote is scheduled for 7:00 am on Tuesday on the substitute amendment to the $871 billion health care package.  The final cloture vote, on the underlying bill, is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.  This vote will clear the way for a vote on passage of the health reform bill on Christmas Eve night, December 24.  There are no signs yet that the Republican leadership will allow any shortcuts to the process. 
 

Dec 19, 2009 - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) reached agreement on a package of amendments to the Senate health reform bill. The Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation released an estimate of the costs of the revised bill indicating that the package of revisions raises the cost of the bill by $10 billion over a decade, but also increases revenues by $12 billion, effectively lowering the deficit by an added $2 billion over the next decade. The revised package also includes an added $10 billion to build community health centers and increase the number of doctors in medically underserved regions, bringing the total cost to $871 billion.  Inclusion of the CLASS Act in the compromise package was a great victory for the disabiliy and aging community.  It had been uncertain in the last week as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) worked to ensure the 60th vote from Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE).  Nelson had mentioned the CLASS Act as a concern to him, but in the end, the CLASS Act was kept in.