WASHINGTON – The Washington Cares Fund is delayed in this legislative session in Olympia. House bills 1732 and 1733 are addressing who gets covered in the program and when it will start.
To break it down, both of these bills are correlated with Washington cares fund, which is meant to provide all Washingtonians affordable access to long-term care facilities when they hit retirement age.
Since the WA Cares Fund was supposed to start this month, HB 1732 delayed the program 18 months; now the fund which will be paid for out of payroll taxes will start in July 2023.
Any employee who had money taken out of their paycheck already will have it refunded by their employer.
“The collection and implementation are delayed, that doesn’t mean that it’s not going to happen but it does show that we are trying to be thoughtful in the execution,” said Matthew Macklin, President, and Attorney at Stratagem Law Group. “Once the program starts it’s a lot harder to change so this is the time to contribute.”
Governor Inslee said that “7 in 10 Washingtonians over the age of 65 will need long term care,” but if people feel they don’t want to participate in the program; HB 1733 allows more people to opt-out of the program.
This includes some veterans, people who work in Washington but live in another state, and workers on non-immigrant visas.
“All of those people are inherently not going to contribute to the problem of becoming sick in our state without support services to financially contribute to their care,” said Macklin.
For people who are getting into retirement age with health problems, this program could help change the way they live.
But, for people who are not 100% behind both bills, you might be able to change that.
“I think that this next year is time to strike, you need to contact your legislator you need to give your opinion, I think its best to be objective and see that there is a problem that needs to be fixed in our long term care delivery,” said Macklin. “The fact that we’re so overwhelmed and underpaid is exactly the problem with a lot of folks who just don’t ever plan to be sick and need long-term care.”
If you want to contact your legislator, you can call (360) 786-7573 or visit their website HERE.
