I-2124 WILL RAISE TAXES ON YOUNGER GENERATIONS
I-2124 will bankrupt WA Cares, meaning “younger generations will either have to pay higher taxes to cover the ballooning costs of Medicaid, or care will have to be rationed, which could hurt older adults and people with disabilities,” reports Seattle Times’ Claire Withycomb
“In 2023, about 23% of Washington’s population was 60 years old or older, according to the Department of Social and Health Services. In 2050, about 29% will be 60 and up. And as Washingtonians live longer and are healthier, adults ages 85 and up will have the greatest need for care. DSHS projects over the next three decades, that population will increase by more than four times the current amount.
That means the number of potential caregivers for each older person needing care will decline. A 2013 AARP study found that in the state of Washington, the number of potential caregivers ages 45-64 in 2010 was about eight for each person 80 years and older. By 2030 that ratio will fall to roughly 4 to 1, and in 2050 to roughly 3 to 1.”
“That’s another reason why many states are looking at programs like WA Cares, is to protect their Medicaid program so it doesn’t collapse under the weight of the age wave.”
