Deep within the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports provision, known as the CLASS Act, establishes a first-ever publicly sponsored, voluntary long-term care insurance option for all working adults. State Long-Term Care Partnership programs, as the original public-private long-term care insurance strategy, and the CLASS insurance option share the common goal of helping consumers prepare for the risk of catastrophic long-term care costs.

This policy brief is designed to help states with existing Long-Term Care Partnership programs to inform consumers and other stakeholders in considering these two different approaches to insure against long-term care risk. The brief compares the two programs in a variety of areas, including program benefits, eligibility, affordability, intersections with Medicaid, and the need for supplementary products.