can use their social security money to pay for things? guest: they can -- that can provide you with some income displacement. if you become disabled today, you probably will have enough income to keep your house, but how do you pay for -- if your wife works, are you paid for someone to come in and help you get to the bathroom or function every day? you do not have coverage for about. she has either got to stay alone and quit her job -- to stay home and quit her job, or hopefully you can survive the day. host: bowling green, ohio, go ahead. caller: and going to apologize. by have been trying -- i have been trying to get on the air. i really do not want to talk about health care, but if you get a chance, you should come by the university here and talk

about health care. guest: any excuse to come by that part of the country would be great. host: i think -- caller: i think a lot of the problems in our country have to do with the monetary system and that we are in an age of globalization. you seem like you know a lot about economics. i would ask you what you think a about entering into globalization and whether capitalism can survive. host: it's not really our topic, but if you feel like you want to answer, go ahead. guest: it is above my pay grade, but here's the thing about class. you have an opportunity as a private citizen to pay into a fund of your own choosing to provide for your needs if you become disabled. that is classic capitalism. it is classic self responsibility.

it is classic collective good for people who may get into trouble. it is the best of a lot of different worlds. host: what's the paperwork if employers want to offer this? guest: it is a check off on a piece of paper it is not a big deal. it should not be a big item. for many employers, i think they will find that they want to offer this and contribute toward it as an employee choice competitive game because they recognize the need. it is already costing employers to thousand dollars per employee for lost wages ed tayba of work -- for lost

time at work for family care. host: next call comes on the republican line. caller: we have the option to opt out of that? and why can't we put that in our own savings account? and is that a tax deduction, which we all need since you are taking all of our money. had how do people on the internet find out what is in our health care bill. rural areas do not have internet access. and i am a disabled person. probably disabled for life, i am a pain patient. there is no getting a arar id. i personally -- getting are rounded. i personally think they should have put pre-existing conditions. host: you get your disability

insurance? caller: through my -- my husband works. through the company. guest: what this does is provide for a large insurance pool that if you have had this insurance before you became disabled, you would be eligible today for, on average, $75 per day benefit. that is according to the projections used by cbo to help you be as independent as possible. it pays for itself. you collect it because you had the foresight as a citizen when you were younger to pay premiums for it. but it is your choice. host: chicago is up. we say good morning to dwane on

the demographics -- democrats line. caller: just have a couple comments. i keep hearing the word transparency regarding health care. it has been on c-span every single day. if you took the time out to turn on c-span, you would know everything they need to know about health care. and the second thing i want a of citizens to realize is that we can either pay for each other or later. if high blood pressure is taking care of no, we will not have to pay for that when that individual gets kidney disease, heart disease, etc. guest: it is interesting in the long term services arena, this

is one of those topics that most every family will face the phenomena in and nobody wants to talk about it. it is hard to think about an elderly loved one becoming disabled. you do not want to think about a child. this is why we are beginning to see as -- almost as many different young girl people with disabilities for different reasons. these are very hard things for families to confront and discuss. one of the good things about class is that it is putting this topic on the national agenda. and through employers been given the option to offer it and students have been the opportunity to purchase it, but hopefully you have a national dialogue a round planning. our focus groups and some polling we did is interesting. 25 years ago, or a generation

ago, the pepper commission suggested that these issues were insurable sets of circumstances in people's lives and lend themselves to this kind of large insurance pool, but we spent a generation not insuring for it. i think it is largely because we want to deny that this kind of thing can happen to us. host: what is the typical age that people should start looking at long-term care and what is the asia and reality, they start buying it? guest: begin to see it in their early to mid 40's. they say, my dad had a heart disease or have dementia in the family, maybe it is time for me to see this. this program provides for students at $5 per month to begin insuring against this. the planning part of it is one of the geniuses of the provisions of the bill. host: prairie grove, ark., good

morning. caller: in the morning when we have to stick to the subject, would you please stick to the subject, too? but anyway, for my point, i see this down the road as another mandate. when you allow the federal retirement to mandate to a private citizen, you have gone down socialism and entered communism. make no mistake, once they find out they can do this, they will mandate every right you ever had away from you. host: do see it as a mandate? guest: no, this is in the bill as not a mandate. this is anything but a communist plot. you can make that decision yourself. you can make the decision for yourself in a spirit of autonomy.

caller: i get a little tired government trying to take over the entire insurance business. i deal with long-term care all the time. let me tell you something, people do not want to make the choice. families, especially in the south, do what they have to do to take care of loved ones. that is part of the southern way of doing business. but i am tired of it taking over the national health care business, trying to take over long-term care. people have the tour -- the right to choose not to do it or to do it. my biggest concern is, what is next? a a are you guys going to take over the auto insurance ds to get out of the way and let people do business.

guest: i think that is a recurring theme and, again, i come back to class is something you decide to do. it is economically based on the economics of large insurance pools. what he is talking about in terms of family responsibility, there is no question that families are responsible for their loved ones. we see it every day. most families will have that opportunity and honor and challenge. host: because this benefit is paid directly to the employee or the benefactor? guest: yes, it is a cash benefit the people talk about -- you hear people talk ideologically about putting dollars back in control of consumers. this program does that. if you are at home taking care of your mother and you have to work today, and you do not have somebody to come in and help you while you work, this puts dollars in iran to help you do that.

if you are a young -- in your hand to help you do that. if you are younger disabled person, if they can get up and dress themselves and get to work in the morning, they can be tax payers. it builds on everything that our country stands for a roundabout use. host: what is this going to mean -- for our values. host: what is this going to mean for the hospice industry? guest: it would supplement hospice with some things that might not be covered. just like if you were part of a medicaid and community-based services program, this would get some things that aren't would never be able to cover. it is a wind-when -- that government would never be able to cover. it is a win-win situation.

the taxpayer wins two ways. they have cash in their pockets if they become disabled, and the medicaid program begins to save money during the sixth year out. host: california, democrat boren, go ahead. caller: if you are already retired, can you buy into this long term care insurance? guest: i think the idea was that you had to be working. if you are already retired and worked part-time, i think there is an allowance for part-time, but you want to work part time to the will to participate in the program, as i understand a lot. host: dustin, florida. -- destin, florida.

caller: if you're going to have demanded, you are going to have to monitor the insurance company very closely just look at what happened with katrina. i know health care is not the same as holders. but if the insurance company can be all of those people -- can beat all of those people who paid their premiums of the money, they are willing to beat the government out of them money. guest: classical money is set apart -- class money is set apart in a trust fund. i believe the president has the power to appoint a group of trustees to oversee how the money is managed. in that sense, it has a lot of protections in it that make it more transparent than a private insurance product. host: the houston chronicle

wrote that to boost participation, the new benefit contains an opt out provision, meaning employees at companies to offer it will be enrolled automatically unless they opt out. some estimated that only about 8 million u.s. residents carry that coverage so far. what is your best case scenario under the numbers of this federal plan? guest: i believe the cbo studies showed a minimal participation, which is good. because they took a conservative approach to it. if there were a number of consumer advocacy organizations that supported class, which was unprecedented. the more people that by this, tomorrow -- to lower the premiums would be no more --

would be and the more lower medicare premiums would be. host: does this create a new agency or department in the government? guest: it obviously creates an oversight body for the money. the secretary sets up an independent advisory council -- host: health secretary. guest: that is right, hhs secretary, and there would be a mechanism in place to determine some as lovell of disability. there are tools and mechanisms to do that. -- someone's level of disability. there are tools and mechanisms to do that. the issue has been raised of how you protect someone who may be a vulnerable. many of the resources are available to do that in every community. we hope we would be using existing resources as opposed to trying to duplicate things that

already exist. host: about 50 more minutes with larry minnix on health care -- are long term care -- or long- term care. caller: of a conservative in a red state and i've been conservative on health care. i think it is important to live a conservative lifestyle for me. but i think one of the things people this is what is happening in the long term as our population grows and people become more diverse in our population as well. and we think about dropping for our children's future, but i think about 10, 20, 40 years from now, it will be increasingly important to deal with these issues and move forward. especially with things such as aging and all of that.

i do understand why do not hear this presented more often. guest: john, you are raising a very good point. i feel the same way, like it is my responsibility to plan for my future. here is another mechanism to do it. i do not want my kids to start taking out of their own pockets to help me. and certainly, i would like to leave them something if i can without going on the government imposed poverty program called medicaid. class is the long view. it is one of the long term, transformational constructs in the health care bill that often gets lost in the immediate political rhetoric. host: lynn township, mich., democrats line. caller: this -- any aspect of

this new build utilizes insurance companies that are already in existence, correct? guest: class does not. it sets the money up in a trust overseen by a government appointed body. it is not a private insurance plan, no. caller: but the rest of the health bill -- the health bill, other than what you're just talking about, utilizes insurance companies, correct? and that a guest: care and medicaid, guest: and the existing and medicare and medicaid and the existing programs out there, it enhances those. there's plenty of competition in the marketplace, i believe. caller: i've heard that this is basically funneling into insurance companies that are already there. i'm wondering, with this idea of

socialism, or reading communism -- the person who called this communism, they need to go look of that word before they can start saying that. there's no way you can say that anything there is communist. host: any last thoughts on that? guest: again, i come back to class. any one of these plants potentially affects most american families. from a red state point of view it encourages self responsibility and putting money into the hands of consumers. from a blue standpoint, everybody is there, it is fair and just and regardless of your means you get his daily cash benefits. we think we have something that is a win for everybody that has no particular political boundaries. aging in disability -- and disability are equal opportunity contributors to problems in

life. here is a mechanism to help mitigate against those and help families fulfill their responsibility. most families want to do this work. it is noble work. but it is difficult and the here is help for that. host: the "new york times" wrote about this long-term plan that others note that the new revenue from a long-term care insurance premiums carrot and the coming decade -- decade. but that they will have to fund the decades after that. guest: right, it is a 5-yr rev up and then five years of benefits after that. host: so, nobody can get benefits for five years. guest: right. the cbo scores of the play in a solvent for 75 years. that is based on conservative contempt -- conservative

assumptions. and if it looks like the secretary is going to be in a deficit position, then she has the authority to adjust the premium. in a 10-year budget cycle, yes, it is revenue without expense. in the second 20 years, the well never runs dry. because you, in effect, are pre funding it through premiums. host: what is your graduate degree index guest: -- your graduate degree in? guest: i have a doctoral degree. by a member of the clergy. you would think that in some ways i'm already a member of the insurance business. [laughter] caller: i have a very practical question specific to my situation. i am 82 years old. i have had several different

health problems such as heart attacks, cancer, seizures. and right fairly healthy -- right now, i'm fairly healthy. but i want to know what will happen if i suddenly become disabled and have to go to a nursing a room for long-term care. but what are my benefits, if any? i'm sure i have some long-term care benefits. how do i pick up the slack? guest: you are experiencing a major problem that the country is facing. right now, if you come out of the hospital with a broken hip or stroh, the chances are good that you will get several weeks of medicare post-hospital coverage. and if you have to go to the nursing home after that, then you would have to pay out of

your own pocket or if you have a private long-term care insurance, it may help you. or you would go on medicaid. those are very difficult choices to make and the issue is, like many americans, you do not know what you are qualified for today because these things are very difficult to talk about. if you were working today and you were 70 and you joined this plan, the chances are pretty good that you would have a daily cash benefit in order to help you stay at home, or at least stay in a situation of your choice until you and your family could make long-term decisions for you. host: we will hear from springfield, minnesota next. caller: good morning and welcome to c-span, and keep up the good work. for over 10 years, my wife and myself have had health care with

disability coverage. what happens to the existing plans that are out there know with the new regulations? would there be an -- a reduction in premiums state-by-state or will this be a program totally responsible through the federal government? guest: if you have disability insurance to defer income replacement, you would keep that. i will certainly keep money. i have private long-term care insurance. my wife was denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions. she is self-employed and i would begin buying this for her and for me. i would say, for me, it is a way to supplement what the policy provides an for her, it would be primary coverage. it is designed to complement in the marketplace what is not available to most americans, today.

and nobody really wants to impoverished themselves on medicaid, which is our only alternative long term. host: and for this federal plan, does it also have no pre- existing conditions? guest: correct, that is one of the views about it, no pre- existing conditions. some critics -- one of the beauties about it, no pre- existing conditions. some critics said that you cannot do that, but that is what insurance is for. i have become friends in this process with a 40-year-old woman with the cerebral palsy who works as an attorney and has a teenage son and a husband. she cannot get private long-term health insurance, but anticipates working for a long time. she would like to start paying in and she gets to the point where getting to work is difficult, but she was to continue to work, she would have

a daily tax benefit to help her continue being a tax payer. host: dickson, tenn., independent line. caller: in regard to this health plan for long-term care, in reference to their medications on this with the part "d," they offer these 90-day plants laura -- but i do know if the speaker is aware of these 90-day plants. -- 90-day plans. if you are in a city that is required covering -- governing these organizations, their drugs are required to be blister packs. people can take the advantage of

90-day supplies because none of the organizations that provide the 90-day drugs do blister packaging. you have to settle for mom and pop prescriptions. this costs the individual more in the long run. i found the true with tennessee, alabama, and georgia. i have a mother who is on a system living. -- assisted living. guest: what you are speaking to his son of the bureaucracy and waste associated with a lot of character -- speaking to is the associated procuracy and waste associated with a lot of these programs. if class were in place, the day you walked into that assisted living facility, you would walk in with $50, $75, maybe $100 a

day to help you pay for assisted living, which right now is either coming out of your pocket, or if you are in a state that permits medicaid payments for assisted living -- and most do not -- you would not be eligible for assisted living. the good thing about class is, you have got money as a consumer to help you take that first step to get care where you need, when you needed, in -- and in a place to call home. caller: it makes me so happy that no americans are paying attention to what is going on. i was with my job for over 19 years and i'm on long-term disability now and as citizens, we all say we do not want the

government to run our lives, [unintelligible] once i got on -- i was going to have to get my son of college to take care of me. i'm a person that need insurance. in my job i have a long-term disability insurance and i got to supplement that insurance. once i got that, it seemed like they were doing things to keep me from getting my benefits. they told me that i had to go on social security. host: who is your long-term to volatile through? -- supplemental through? caller: comcast. i helped install cable services and your show is one that i promote the most.