EDITORIAL: WA Cares isn't perfect, but it's a necessary start [Yakima Herald-Republic, Wash.]

Jun. 16—In a couple of weeks — July 1 — Washington will become the first state to launch a guaranteed long-term care insurance program. A dozen other states are considering similar plans, but our WA Cares Fund will be the first out of the gate.

Unless you've qualified for some built-in opt-outs, you'll start noticing mandatory payroll deductions of 0.58%.

After that, we suspect a fair amount of hullaballoo will ensue — just like it did two years ago, when the plan first came together.

Back then, businesses, politicians, activists and lawyers raised armloads of objections to the bill that House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, had introduced. In response, Gov. Jay Inslee quickly signed two bills that expanded exemptions and delayed the rollout of the legislation until lawmakers had a chance to do some tweaking.

Now the adjustments have been made and the delays are over.

More fixing might be needed down the road, but one way or another, WA Cares will be up and running.

WA Cares Director Ben Veghte thinks the program is long overdue.

The nation, Veghte said in an interview with the Yakima Herald-Republic last week, is facing a "long-term care crisis."

The sobering statistics on long-term care certainly bear him out.

Seven in 10 people ages 65 or older will need some sort of care for an average of 3.2 years, according to national care provider A Place for Mom. And whether it's in-home or in a nursing facility, that care will be too expensive for most people to afford.

Overall, Americans are spending $475.1 billion on long-term care, because Medicaid is picking up only 42% of the total tab.

Look at it that way and all of a sudden that 0.58% payroll deduction doesn't sound too hard to swallow, does it?

And it's even easier when you look at what you'll get in return for that contribution. Once you've met all the requirements, the full benefit is $36,500, which will grow to reflect cost-of-living increases. The first benefits will be available in July 2026.

You can use your benefits any way you like to cover your individual needs — for in-home helpers, nursing home bills, etc.

Veghte sees WA Cares working in much the same way as Social Security. It's a fund, he explained, that provides a fundamental safety net.

The need is clearly urgent.

Is WA Cares a perfect solution? No, of course not. The costs of long-term care are staggering, and even at full benefit, WA Cares will only be a drop in the bucket for some folks. Nursing home stays can top $9,000 per month, according to AARP. In-home help, though significantly cheaper, still means paying caregivers somewhere around $20 an hour.

That's why so many Americans — roughly one in four — are already informal, unpaid family caregivers. They simply have no other options.

Few of us like to think about such things — and even fewer are doing anything about them — but considering current life expectancy, the odds are good that you'll have to confront long-term care questions sooner or later.

That's why Veghte calls the situation a crisis. And that's why, warts and all, WA Cares seems like a logical starting point that should bring a measure of welcome help in coming years.

"WA Cares is a wake-up call to all of us," Veghte told the YH-R.

As difficult as that is to hear, we have to agree.

Yakima Herald-Republic editorials reflect the collective opinions of the newspaper's local editorial board.

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