“You pay a little bit over your whole career instead of paying a lot at a time when you can least afford to.”
“Social insurance is a smarter way to do this, because you’re paying from your first paycheck when you’re 15 in the summer job until your last paycheck, but then as soon as you retire you don’t owe anything,” said WA Cares Fund Director Ben Veghte. Medicaid requires applicants to be low-income and spend down all life savings to $2,000 or less to qualify. Many assume Medicare covers long-term care, but that’s not the case except for limited care for skilled nursing or rehabilitation. Washington's payroll deduction approach to long-term care funding is getting the attention of policymakers around the country, including California and New York, which are developing programs similar to WA Cares.Īn estimated 7 million to 8 million Americans have private long-term care insurance, which can be costly and generally requires applicants to pass a health screening. The push to find a long-term care solution comes as Washington and other states prepare to face a doubling of the 85-and-older population over the next 15 years - a crisis that will challenge the ability of states to meet long-term care needs already promised through Medicaid. Sometimes it gets so bad showering can be a challenge - normal, everyday activities that people often take for granted and don’t understand that we are all a medical issue away from something happening.” “It’s very hard for me to live, walk my dog, cook for myself. “There have been times I’ve been unable to work,” Jones said. Beginning July 1, Washington will be the first state to deduct money from workers’ paychecks to finance long-term care benefits for residents who can't live independently due to illness, injury or aging-related conditions such as dementia. Lawmakers had cases like his in mind when they passed a new program called WA Cares. Since he was a teen, the 41-year-old Seattle resident has often struggled with lupus, an autoimmune disease that can cause the body to attack tissue surrounding joints and organs, making everyday tasks like showering, cooking and commuting to his golf course restaurant job impossible.Īnd due to his preexisting condition, Jones doesn't qualify for private long-term care insurance to help manage his disease when he is older and needs more assistance. SEATTLE (AP) - On some days, Anthony Jones can’t get to work.
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