Thursday, September 29, 2011
Dear Editor:
In “Ominous Signs for the Class Act” (New York Times, Sept 28, 2011) Paula Span raises concerns about whether the Class Act will be launched in 2012. A delay or failure to implement the Class Act wouldn’t be surprising given the political debate around healthcare reform and the divisive rhetoric coming from Congress.
As a University student, thoughts about long term care are not top of mind. Most of my classmates and I are preoccupied with concerns about finishing classes and getting jobs. What we haven’t learned in school is accountability for our long term care and retirement costs. However, many of us are beginning to question whether government plans like Medicare and Social Security will be there for us when we retire. We now realize that we need to have self-funded plans like Class Act so that we can start preparing for our futures. The Class Act provides an efficient, nationwide system that will insure that we are being taken care of in our old age.
Sincerely,
Barbara Sullinger
Dear Editor:
In “Ominous Signs for the Class Act” (New York Times, Sept 28, 2011) Paula Span raises concerns about whether the Class Act will be launched in 2012. A delay or failure to implement the Class Act wouldn’t be surprising given the political debate around healthcare reform and the divisive rhetoric coming from Congress.
As a University student, thoughts about long term care are not top of mind. Most of my classmates and I are preoccupied with concerns about finishing classes and getting jobs. What we haven’t learned in school is accountability for our long term care and retirement costs. However, many of us are beginning to question whether government plans like Medicare and Social Security will be there for us when we retire. We now realize that we need to have self-funded plans like Class Act so that we can start preparing for our futures. The Class Act provides an efficient, nationwide system that will insure that we are being taken care of in our old age.
Sincerely,
Barbara Sullinger
Berkeley, California
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think that you raise an interesting point about young adults feeling invincible enough to not care about how they will be supported in their old age. It's hard enough to get college students to take responsibility for their health and to take the time to understand the health care system, that it can seem nearly impossible to get them to consider health care plans that they won't need until at least 40 years from now. So I agree with you that getting young adults to consider their plans for old age should be a requirement, but ask what makes the Class Act the best possible way to provide for long term care and retirement? The Class Act faces the same funding challenges as Social Security and Medicare. The Class Act promises to save money through its efficiency, but the long term funding plans are still risky. In my opinion, we should try to get the support of young adults and college students behind existing Medicare and Social Security Plans instead of investing in a new plan that may or may not end up working out in the long run. I think that fixing and improving an existing institution is a better idea than trying to erect a new one from scratch to fulfill a similar function.
ReplyDeleteAmy Levier
Amy Levier
I agree with Barbara’s comments in regards to the “Ominous Signs for the Class Act” article. Many people, especially young people, do not invest in long term care. Young people think that they are healthy, seeing no need for health insurance or even long term care, until it’s too late. CLASS is a good start to begin investing in long term care, but why not fund this program through taxes so people paying the taxes will receive long term care when they need it? Though many people will not be too happy about paying more taxes, it is worth it in the long run as changes to Medicare and Social Security programs may occur, largely affecting the current young generation. They may not receive the same benefits seniors are receiving now as there could be possible cut-backs. It is important that we start thinking about funding for our future problems while we are still young.
ReplyDeleteLanny Dinh