Washington State Archives - Howard Gleckman

Voters To Decide On Washington State’s Public Long-Term Care Insurance Program

Washington voters will decide the fate of the state’s path-breaking public long-term care insurance program in a referendum this Fall. If adopted, Initiative 2124 would make participation in the Washington Cares program voluntary, effectively killing it. The effort, largely bankrolled by hedge fund manager Brian Heywood and backed by prominent state Republicans, is the latest attempt by conservatives to dismantle [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2024-02-21T10:08:40-05:00February 21st, 2024|long-term care insurance|0 Comments

Should State Long-Term Care Insurance Funds Invest In Stocks?

California’s evolving effort to build a public long-term care insurance program includes an important, and potentially far-reaching, feature: The insurance fund would be allowed to invest some assets in stocks. This would be a dramatic change for both social insurance and long-term care insurance. For example, Social Security is allowed to invest only in Treasury bonds. Regulators require private long-term [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2023-06-22T13:46:52-04:00June 22nd, 2023|long-term care insurance|0 Comments

Look To The States, Not Congress, For Long-Term Care Financing Reform

While there is no chance the federal government will enact long-term care financing reform any time soon, several states are busy developing public insurance programs of their own. These initiatives could be a critical step as the nation wrestles with how to pay for personal care for older adults and others with disabilities or chronic disease. Washington State is refining [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2023-01-23T14:48:28-05:00January 23rd, 2023|long-term care financing|1 Comment

Maine Has A Plan To Help Family Caregivers. Other States Should Follow

Family caregivers are overwhelmed, usually untrained, and often under enormous financial stress. If they are lucky, they have a community to help support them. But unless those receiving care are on Medicaid, they get little help from government. Now, Maine has begun a program aimed at helping family members care for aging or disabled relatives and help themselves. Called “Respite [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2022-12-15T15:02:15-05:00December 15th, 2022|family caregivers|0 Comments

No Referendum On Washington State’s Public Long-Term Care Insurance Program, But Chages Coming

An effort to repeal Washington State’s public long-term care insurance program failed to get enough signatures by the end-of-year deadline to make it on the November ballot. At the same time, Democrats, who control the state legislature, have introduced multiple bills aimed at delaying or revising the program. The state was scheduled to start collecting a mandatory 0.58 percent payroll [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2022-01-05T14:11:42-05:00January 5th, 2022|long term care reform|0 Comments

Washington State Delays Public Long-Term Care Insurance Until April, Explores Changes

Facing a lawsuit and political opposition, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee has delayed until April a payroll tax aimed at funding the state’s first-in-the-nation public long-term care insurance program. Inslee said the delay will give the legislature time to address what he called “areas that need adjustment.” A state long-term care commission advising the legislature and governor will recommend a [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2021-12-20T10:08:31-05:00December 20th, 2021|long-term care insurance, Uncategorized|0 Comments

Lawsuit Seeks To Overturn Washington State’s Public Long-Term Care Insurance Program

Washington State’s first-in-the-nation public long-term care insurance program is headed to court. A group of employers and workers has sued the state with the goal of getting the law overturned. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of three employers and six workers, argues that the insurance program violates a long list of federal and state laws including the Employee Income Security [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2021-11-16T13:50:34-05:00November 16th, 2021|long term care reform|1 Comment

How Making Public Long-Term Care Insurance (Sort Of) Voluntary Created A Mess In Washington State

When Washington State legislators approved a public long-term care (LTC) insurance program in 2019, they made a last-minute change: Residents could opt out if they purchased private LTC coverage by Nov 1, 2021. Those who remained would pay an annual payroll tax surcharge of 0.58 percent starting next year and, in return, be eligible for a public LTC insurance benefit [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2021-10-06T15:09:24-04:00October 6th, 2021|long-term care insurance|0 Comments

Jumpstarting the Debate Over Public Long-Term Care Insurance

Rep Tom Suozzi (D-NY) has introduced a bill to create a public, catastrophic, long-term care insurance program. The monthly cash benefit, initially about $3,600 and indexed for inflation, would be funded with a modest increase in the payroll tax of 0.3 percent for workers and 0.3 percent for employers, or roughly $300-a-year for a median wage worker. For many older [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2021-07-01T11:41:01-04:00July 1st, 2021|long-term care financing|0 Comments

Joe Biden Is Slowly Acknowledging The Nation’s Need To Reform Long-Term Care

Likely Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is, very slowly and cautiously, acknowledging the need to reform the way we support frail older adults and younger people with disabilities. In recent days, a task force created by his campaign made several proposals to expand home and community based care under Medicaid and support both family and paid caregivers. Since covid-19 has killed more [...]

By Howard Gleckman|2020-07-19T14:31:28-04:00July 19th, 2020|long term care reform|2 Comments