The WA Cares Fund Is Good For Long-Term Care Options

WA Cares Fills Critical Long-Term Care Coverage Gaps

Before the WA Cares Fund, most working Washingtonians could not afford long-term care insurance. Even if we could, many of us would get denied due to pre-existing conditions like diabetes or previous injuries.

The American Association For Long-Term Care Insurance found that only 3% of the U.S. population has long-term care insurance [source]. The WA Cares Fund is filling this gap to make sure that all Washingtonians have access to affordable long-term care.

WA Cares provides $36,500 of benefits, adjusted for inflation, to any working Washingtonian. Regardless of gender, race, age, or pre-existing conditions, you’re eligible for WA Cares. We only contribute to the WA Cares Fund while we’re working. As soon as we retire, we stop contributing.

Similarly, if we become unemployed or leave the workforce to care for a child or other loved one, our contributions stop, and we stay in the program. That means we keep our WA Cares fund benefits no matter what.

The WA Cares Fund covers a broader range of needs than private long-term care insurance.

WA Cares Covers What We Need

Home Care

Family Caregiving

Medical Equipment

Blue icon of a wrench and hammer crossed in an X shape

Home Modifications

Residential Facilities

A light skinned female-presenting person in her 30s smiles on a brown couch and holds a smart phone. She is leaning on a light skinned male-presenting man in his 60s, with her right hand on his arm. The man has grey hair and beard and is wearing glasses, and holds a laptop in his lap. He is also smiling. Behind them are plants and a window with daylight coming in.

The WA Cares Fund will pay for an estimated 1,058 hours of home care, whether that comes from a family member or a professional provider.

WA Cares Protects Washingtonians From The Pitfalls Of Private Insurance

Private long-term care insurance is only an option for the wealthy and the healthy. The WA Cares Fund provides a solution to long-term care for working Washingtonians. We don’t have to take the risks that come with private insurance any longer.

Private long-term care insurance premiums are high and increase with age. They become more and more unaffordable the closer we get to retirement. Over time, premiums rise and coverage falls [source]. With The WA Cares Fund, our benefits always remain the same. Same with contribution costs.

WA Cares benefits cost the same for all genders. Private long-term care insurance companies often double the premiums for women [source].

Private long-term care insurance policies have waiting periods, medical checks, and limited coverage. WA Cares has none of that. When we face sudden and difficult circumstances, we can trust that our WA Cares benefits stay consistent and accessible. Period.

More than 800 people filed complaints about long-term care insurance companies with the WA Office of the Insurance Commissioner in the past three years [source]. Almost half were for companies delaying or denying benefits like in-home care and nursing home stays. Another third were for premium hikes as much as 300%. WA Cares benefit contributions will never increase over time – the only thing that will rise is benefit amounts. The WA Cares Fund keeps pace with inflation.

A Black woman in her 60s, Nina, stands behind her husband and hugs him. She is wearing a watch and black hat that says "well behaved women rarely make history" and smiling. Her husband, a Black man in his 60s, is looking at the camera. He has a white beard and is wearing a black skull cap.

“My husband and I are retired professors who bought private long-term care policies over 20 years ago. Now Joseph is gravely ill.
They’ve denied or delayed our benefits at every turn.“
-Nina, Seattle, WA

WA Cares Provides Long-Term Care For People With Pre-Existing Conditions

There are 3.1 million Washington adults under the age of 65 who have a pre-existing condition [source]. These common health conditions usually disqualify us from private long-term care insurance coverage. This includes health issues like diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, lupus, depression, sleep apnea, asthma, and many more.

Long-term care insurance corporations frequently deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. Not WA Cares. WA Cares covers all pre-existing conditions. That means that the 57% of non-elderly adults with pre-existing conditions can now get long-term care benefits if we need it, when we’d otherwise be stuck without an option.

A Black man named Anthony, an advocate for WA Cares, smiles at the camera. He is wearing a black polo shirt and a jean apron. He is standing in a kitchen with modern appliances and flowers behind him.

“I was a normal 19 year old going to college, playing basketball with friends, enjoying life as a healthy young man. But all of a sudden, I was diagnosed with Lupus, a condition so severe I had to be treated with cytotoxin chemotherapy.
Private long-term care insurance won’t cover my pre-existing condition. But, WA Cares will.“
–Anthony, Renton WA

Learn More About The WA Cares Fund

Hear From Washingtonians Like Dani, And How WA Cares Is Helping Her Family

WA Cares ensures that working Washingtonians have access to affordable long-term care insurance, so we can get the care we need, when we need it. Learn about how people with pre-existing conditions like Dani will have paralysis support.

A young family of three sits and plays on their floor. Dani, an advocate for WA Cares, sits on the floor with her legs folded. She is white skin and has long curly brown hair and a pink shirt, and is smiling. She is holding her son in her lap, who in sitting on the floor with his legs out straight. He is a white boy aged around 6. To the left is Dani's husband, a white man with glasses and short brown curly hair and a beard. He is playing with a stuffed animal on his son's foot. Behind them is a table with a blue lamp and a stack of books.