Health reform: helping pay the costs of elder care?

We’re talking about the costs of caring for Grandma, and whether they’re going to get any cheaper with health care reform. The CLASS ACT ? short for ‘Community Living Assistance Services and Support’ ? is a section of the Senate’s health care bill. It was introduced by the late Senator Edward Kennedy to lower the cost of long term care for sick or aging family members, and would allow people to collect daily cash benefits of about $50 to $70 a day to pay for home care, adult day programs or nursing homes after paying premiums for five years. The goal is offer a voluntary long term care alternative to Medicaid and private nursing home insurance.

Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich tells us how likely it is the CLASS ACT will remain in any final bill. Then Paula Span, author of “When the Time Comes: Families with Aging Parents Share Their Struggles and Solutions,” tells us how important this care is; along with Ilze Earner, who cares for her mom at home and her father in a nursing home.