The health legislation signed into law last week by President Obama includes a provision called the CLASS Act, which provides long-term care at home. It wasn’t part of the debate, and few people know about it today but experts agree that it could well explode the federal budget deficit down the road and your personal budget before that.

The Community Living Services and Support (CLASS) Act was designed to assist people who need in-home assistance with basic daily tasks There are a few problems with the plan. First of all the Congress has written the legislation so you are automatically enrolled in the plan, and your employer will automatically take the money out of your check unless you opt-out. Additionally, the plan, as currently constructed, can’t possibly pay for itself over the long run and will blow a hole in the federal budget.