The Obama administration announced that it would remove a provision in the health care law because it is too expensive and would not work in the long run. Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of health and human services, said that the premiums from the long-term care insurance program would be too high that only a few healthy people would sign up for it.

The program was known as Community Living Assistance Services and Support or Class. It was made for people with chronic illnesses and severe disabilities. Sebelius said that the program was financially unsustainable.

The decision by the administration was another setback for the health care law, which is udner attack in Congress, in court and in several state legislatures. Sebelius maintained that the decision would not affect the rest of the health care law, which would provide health care coverage to more than 30 million people who are currently uninsured.

Senate replublican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said that the long-term care program was one of the unwise, unsustainable parts of the health care law. He, along with other republicans in Congress, wants to repeal the entire law.

Advocates for older Americans and people with disabilities were disappointed at the administration’s decision to scrap the program. Americans have a need for long term care insurance but the program was too expensive that most families can’t afford to pay for it.

The Obama administration asked the Supreme Court to rule on the case regarding the 2010 health care overhaul law. With this latest development, it wouldn’t be long until the court would hear the challenges to the law, arguments in spring and come up with a decision by June of 2012. It would just be in time for the 2012 presidential campaign.

The Justice Department said that the Supreme Court justices should start hearing its appeal of a decision made by a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta that ruled against the law with a vote of 2 to 1. It said that only the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled it unconstitutional and it would be appropriate for the Supreme Court to review it.

The administration didn’t say why it didn’t take the routine litigation steps that could have slowed down the progress of the challenges to the health care law that could avoid a decision from the current Supreme Court term. It said that the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals decision created a matter that’s important to national interest.

A decision that would deem President Obama’s signature bill unconstitutional months before the election would hurt his chances for reelection. A decision to uphold the law can help and hurt the president as well. It could make voters to boost their efforts to elect candidates that are committed to repeal the health care law.