Because it is voluntary, Class faced a "problem of adverse selection," in which only people who need the insurance, or think they will, would sign up.

Sebelius told a Senate Finance Committee hearing in February that Class "will not start unless we can be certain it will be solvent and self-sustaining into the future."

A spokesman for her department, Richard Sorian, confirming last month that Class was on the ropes, said that "it is an open question whether the program will be implemented."

Ending the program may add to the deficit. The Office of Management and Budget estimates that savings from the health law drop from $143 billion over 10 years to $127 billion without Class, said Kathy Greenlee, assistant secretary for aging in Sebelius's department, in a conference call with reporters.

The Senate Appropriations Committee passed a fiscal 2012 spending bill for the health department on Sept. 21 that eliminated funding to enact Class, saying it wasn't clear whether it would proceed. Obama had asked for $120 million for the program.

First « 1 2 » Next