December 1, 2009

Letters to the Editor
Washington Post
1150 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20071

To the Editor:

Regarding “In Health Care Reform, No Deficit Cure” (November 30, 2009): Any discussion of health care reform’s deficit reduction claims should include a critical analysis of the CLASS Act, a long-term care program in the Senate and House proposals.

The Congressional Budget Office said that CLASS Act would generate a budget surplus in its first decade. But in a recent letter to congressional leaders, the CBO conceded that starting in 2029 the program would add to the deficit “by amounts on the order of tens of billions of dollars for each 10-year period.”

Addressing long-term care is a serious issue that requires sound solutions—not a new government program that attempts to mask its unsustainable design.

Sincerely, 

Frank Keating

Frank Keating is president of the American Council of Life Insurers. He is also the former two-term governor of Oklahoma.