The Register's editorial

First, the good news: Americans can expect to live longer than ever. The bad news: Many of us will not die suddenly and peacefully in our sleep. The human body breaks down and wears out over time. More than two-thirds of older adults will need some personal assistance with basic activities like dressing and bathing before they die. About half will need a high level of assistance, typically for two years at an average cost of more than $100,000.

How will this be paid for?

Medicare health insurance for seniors offers very limited coverage for long-term care services. Many Americans don't save enough money for retirement, let alone an extended stay in a nursing home. Medicaid, government coverage for low-income people, spent more than 30 percent of its budget — $146 billion — on long term care in 2013. This is not sustainable.

When family members take care of loved ones, the country pays a price too. Absenteeism from caregiver’s full-time jobs costs the economy an estimated $25.2 billion in lost productivity annually, according to a report from Gallup.

So the Long-Term Care Financing Collaborative is spearheading the latest effort to change the way care is financed and delivered in this country. The group, which includes former state Medicaid directors, insurers and consumer advocates, issued a 30-page report in February recommending numerous reforms, including universal, catastrophic insurance.

While it is helpful to bring attention to this issue, Congress does not need to start from scratch. Washington lawmakers should revisit and revise a provision in existing law that creates a long-term care insurance option administered by the government. Crafted by then-Sen. Tom Harkin, the so-called CLASS Act was passed as part of the health reform law.

If implemented, working Americans could choose to buy into the plan. They could pay premiums through payroll deductions or a government-sponsored mechanism. Participants must contribute for five years before becoming eligible for a daily cash benefit to help pay for care if they become disabled. Unlike private insurance, people with health problems would not be denied coverage.

But the CLASS Act has not been implemented. In fact, the Obama administration essentially abandoned it due to concerns that not enough people would participate and the program would not be financially sound. Instead it eventually appointed a commission, which provided recommendations to Congress. That was more than two years ago. Congress has done nothing since. The commission’s conclusion that this country’s long-term services and system are “not sufficient for current or future needs” remains.

Private long-term care insurance is not the answer. Assuming you can secure an affordable policy, premiums may unexpectedly skyrocket years later. Depending on the plan, you may be faced with paying the additional cost or reducing or losing coverage.

A government option for long-term care insurance is in everyone’s interest. It could be the beginning of a transition in this country to a more reliable and stable way to help older Americans pay the cost of care. It would help protect the nest eggs of individuals and protect taxpayers from footing the bill via Medicaid.