The End of Medicaid?

From Howard Gleckman's recent post at Home Care Association of Florida:

These proposals won’t become law any time soon. But they are evidence that Medicaid could be on the fiscal chopping block. In that environment, it makes sense to get the program out of the long-term care business. And a way to do that would be to replace it with a broad-based insurance system. The Community Living Assistance Services and Support Act, which was created by the health overhaul, will create a voluntary national long-term care insurance program. Program participants would begin contributing in 2012, but wouldn’t b eligible for benefits for at least five years. But there are real doubts about whether CLASS insurance will attract enough middle-class buyers to reduce the burden on Medicaid. If it can’t, Congress should begin to think about what insurance design can, and do so before the Medicaid safety net for long-term care is in tatters.