There is still the problem to solve about how we’ll care for our frail elderly in the years ahead, and it’s unclear what the path to a solution will be. After the shouting subsides, we’re still left with an inadequate, patchwork system for funding long-term care in the U.S.

After much speculation, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has pulled the plug on the CLASS part of the health law. As a recent Reuters article points out, this brings to the fore the question of long-term care insurance, both as it impacts the United States in general and each of us in particular, as potential patients in need of such care.

The CLASS act was the first attempt at establishing a public option for long-term care insurance and that put it between the proverbial rock and a hard place. The late Senator Kennedy championed the cause. Politics aside, what torpedoed the CLASS act? Money.

According to HHS, the program would prove too costly to achieve its goal. Why? Too few healthy people would elect to pay the required premiums. But what now?

The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College notes that about one-third of the Americans turning 65 this year will need at least three months of nursing home care sometime during their lives. Presumably, however, many of these same Americans will need such care even longer (and future generations can’t be expected to fare much better).

So, how we deal with long-term care as a country is yet to be seen. Regardless, since you or a loved one will likely need long-term care, the question remains: How will you pay for it?

An increasing number of forward-thinking people are turning to private long-term care insurance, but as many as 59% have yet to get their own private long-term care insurance policy or plan to get it (according to a 2010 survey).

Is private long-term care insurance right for you or a loved one?

For many who wait too long pondering this question, their default option is the more complicated question of Medicare and Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California). Undoubtedly, Medicaid/Medi-Cal (the means-tested shared federal-state program) is the largest source of long-term care financing. However, last time I checked, the federal government was not exactly flush with cash and many states are operating in the red.

In the end, whatever you decide to do when it comes to paying for long-term care, the best time to make plans is yesterday. Whatever you do, be sure to seek appropriate legal counsel.  For information on the Medi-Cal Long Term Care program please visit our website.

Reference: Reuters (October 17, 2011) “What’s next for long-term care after CLASS act folds?