[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 412 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 412

    Promoting a national dialog on long-term care financing reform.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 27, 2000

 Mr. Pomeroy (for himself, Mrs. Johnson of Connecticut, Mr. Foley, Mr. 
Peterson of Pennsylvania, Mr. Whitfield, Mr. LaTourette, Mr. Manzullo, 
 Mr. Saxton, Mr. Kuykendall, Mr. English, Ms. Millender-McDonald, Mr. 
    Davis of Florida, Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. Skelton, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. 
Sandlin, Mr. Frost, Mr. Ramstad, and Mr. Bass) submitted the following 
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Education and 
   the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
    Promoting a national dialog on long-term care financing reform.

Whereas as the baby boom generation begins to retire, funding Social Security 
        and medicare will put a strain on the financial resources of younger 
        Americans;
Whereas medicaid was designed as a program for the poor, but in many States 
        medicaid is being used to fund long-term care expenses for middle-income 
        older Americans;
Whereas in the coming decade, people over age 65 will represent 20 percent or 
        more of the population, and the proportion of the population composed of 
        individuals over age 85, who are most likely to be in need of long-term 
        care, may double or triple;
Whereas there are as many as 4 million people with disabilities or chronic 
        illnesses, regardless of age, who need long-term care services and 
        support in order to survive;
Whereas with nursing home care now costing an average of $40,000 to $50,000 per 
        year, long-term care expenses can have a catastrophic effect on 
        families, wiping out a lifetime of savings before a spouse, parent, or 
        grandparent becomes eligible for medicaid;
Whereas costs for intermediate care facilities for people with mental 
        retardation and other developmental disabilities average nearly $80,000 
        per year;
Whereas younger people with disabilities face the same long-term care cost 
        issues as the elderly, yet they face certain additional long-term care 
        problems because they are often younger and at a different stage of 
        life, often trying to raise a family or earn a living while needing 
        long-term support;
Whereas many people are unaware that most long-term care costs are not covered 
        by medicare and that medicaid covers long-term care only after personal 
        assets have been exhausted;
Whereas assistance for people with disabilities does not come from any one 
        comprehensive program, but from many different programs, including 
        medicaid, Social Security, and housing programs that contribute to 
        helping people with disabilities lead independent lives;
Whereas widespread use of private long-term care insurance has the potential to 
        protect many families from the catastrophic costs of long-term care 
        services, while at the same time easing the burden on medicaid and 
        freeing up additional resources for people who have been unable to 
        obtain private insurance because of disability or some other limiting 
        factor;
Whereas the Federal Government has endorsed the concept of private long-term 
        care insurance by establishing Federal tax rules for tax-qualified 
        policies in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 
        1996; and
Whereas the Federal Government has ensured the availability of quality long-term 
        care insurance products and sales practices by adopting strict consumer 
        protections in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act 
        of 1996: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of the Congress that--
            (1) the Federal Government should--
                    (A) take all appropriate steps to inform the public 
                about the financial risks posed by rapidly increasing 
                long-term care costs and about the need for families to 
                plan for their long-term care needs;
                    (B) take all appropriate steps to inform the public 
                that medicare does not cover most long-term care costs 
                and that medicaid covers long-term care costs only when 
                the beneficiary's personal assets are exhausted;
                    (C) take all appropriate steps to better integrate 
                programs for people with disabilities who need long-
                term care, including the continued development of home- 
                and community-based services;
                    (D) not only encourage employers to offer private 
                long-term care insurance coverage to employees, but 
                also encourage both working-aged people and older 
                citizens to obtain long-term care insurance either 
                through their employers or on their own; and
                    (E) continue to support and encourage research into 
                alleviating disabilities and chronic diseases that 
                necessitate long-term care services and support;
            (2) appropriate committees of Congress, together with the 
        Department of Health and Human Services and other appropriate 
        executive branch agencies, should develop specific ideas for 
        encouraging Americans to plan for their own long-term care 
        needs and better integrate long-term care programs for people 
        with disabilities;
            (3) the congressional tax-writing committees, together with 
        the Department of the Treasury, should determine whether the 
        tax rules for long-term care insurance should be modified to 
        ensure that the rules adequately facilitate the affordability 
        of long-term care insurance; and
            (4) the appropriate committees of Congress should consider 
        the long-term care needs of older Americans, people with 
        disabilities, and the chronically ill when considering 
        medicaid, tax, health, insurance, and housing policies, as well 
        as the reform of Social Security and medicare.
                                 <all>