Why we are voting ‘no’ on Washington’s I-2124 Concerning Long-Term Care Insurance
By Jim Hopper, MD, and Chris Phillips
There’s a lot at stake this election as we Washingtonians wait for our ballots to arrive in the mail, not least of which is the future of our state’s long term care benefit. Initiative 2124 is misleadingly written to sound like a reasonable change — making the program voluntary. In truth, it’s an attempt to privatize social services by ending long-term care benefits for nearly 4 million workers.
Leading experts on long term care financing — including the insurance industry itself — say I-2124 would cause a death spiral, bankrupting the state’s long term care insurance program by 2027. Five different scenarios analyzed by the Office of State Actuary all led to insolvency and elimination of the benefit in 2027 under I-2124.
None of us likes to think we’ll ever need help with things like getting dressed, bathing, making meals or getting around. And most assume, if something does happen, our healthcare system will provide the support we need to recover or access ongoing care at home. But the reality doesn’t match up with this wishful thinking.
In our lines of work, we have had front row seats to witness how challenging it has become for folks to get the support they need to live with safety and dignity in their own homes. When a patient is through with the acute care that doctors and nurses can provide, they often need support at home to help with medications and meals, equipment like a wheelchair, safety bars in the shower or a ramp to replace steps. But too many people simply can’t afford these supports and services, and most don’t realize that “long term care” whether you receive it in a residential facility or at home, is not covered by health insurance or Medicare.
Read the full op-ed in the Bellingham Herald.
Jim Hopper, MD is a retired family physician, and Chris Phillips is former director of community health for PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center and a board member of Unity Care Northwest.
