WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has voted to keep a new long-term care insurance plan in its health overhaul bill.
Republicans fell short in a bid to strike the voluntary insurance plan on a 51-to-47 vote. Sixty votes were needed to prevail.
A priority for the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the program would help seniors and disabled people stay in their own homes and avoid going into nursing homes.
Workers would pay a modest monthly premium during the course of their careers. If they become disabled, they get a cash benefit of at least $50 a day. It can pay for a home care attendant, for supplies and equipment, to make home improvements such as new bathroom railings or defray nursing home costs.
