WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is backing efforts to create a new government program to provide long term care insurance as part of the broader health care overhaul.

The voluntary insurance program, sponsored by Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, would pay a modest daily cash benefit of at least $50 that people could use for in-home services or nursing home bills.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a letter to Kennedy that the administration supports the program because it would help elderly and disabled people stay in their own homes. But the Congressional Budget Office is questioning the program's long-range solvency. A Senate committee could vote Tuesday on the plan.