This report from the Center for Health Care Strategies, Inc. investigates the relationship that the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports provisions of the Affordable Care Act will have with state-sponsored Long-Term Care Partnership Programs. Both share the goal of helping individuals plan long-term care assistance, assuming they are expecting to need such assistance. 

From the report:

Long-term care insurance is one of the least-known benefits supported in the new health reform legislation. The CLASS (Community Living Assistance Services and Supports) provisions included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) establish a publicly sponsored, voluntary long-term care insurance option for all working adults. While key details of CLASS are yet to be resolved, it is important to prepare for this new insurance offering. Its inclusion in health reform guarantees an increased focus on the need for long-term care insurance.

State Long-Term Care Partnership programs, the original public-private long-term care insurance strategy, and the new CLASS insurance program share the public policy goal of helping consumers prepare for the risk of catastrophic longterm care costs. States with Partnership programs promote the purchase of private long-term care insurance by offering consumers access to Medicaid under special eligibility rules if additional long-term care coverage (beyond what the policies provide) is needed. Medicaid benefits from this approach by having people take responsibility for at least the initial phase of their long-term care through the use of private insurance. This policy brief is designed to help Partnership states inform consumers and other stakeholders in considering these two different approaches to insure against long-term care risk.

Full Report: Connecting the Long-Term Care Partnership and CLASS Act Insurance Programs (PDF | 90 KB) 

Center for Health Care Strategies, Inc. (2011). Connecting the long-term care partnership and CLASS Act insurance programs. Meiners, M.