On March 11, Representatives Tom Suozzi (D-NY) and John Moolenaar (R-MI) introduced the Well Being Insurance for Seniors to be at Home (WISH) Act. This bill would create a federal catastrophic long term care insurance program that would allow for a more robust private-public partnership to develop. Without a federal catastrophic backstop for long term care, the private insurance market for products to support long term care for the middle class has been challenging to maintain.

The bill would have waiting periods to qualify for federal assistance with long-term care that would be between 1-5 years depending on income.

LeadingAge is deeply engaged with Mr. Suozzi on the development and promotion of this bill and the need for long term care financing reform.

The press release, which contains quotes from Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO of LeadingAge, and Marc Cohen, co-director, LeadingAge LTSS Center @ UMass Boston, as well as links to the bill text and more information on the legislation, can be found here.