Washington Long-Term Care Means More Patients Can Stay Home To Get Care
Dr. Charles Mayer is a family physician in Seattle. He keeps his patients and his community as healthy as possible. Every day, he sees firsthand that almost all people want to stay at home when they need care. Dr. Mayer knows that most of his patients could not pay for long-term care, whether they need it today or in the future. “I tell my patients — you may think Medicare or other insurance will cover care at home should you need it — it will not,” said Dr. Mayer. “Most Washingtonians don’t have savings set aside to pay for long-term care.”
“Most of us want to stay in our own home as long as we can as we age. And that’s exactly what the WA Cares Fund will do, helping folks pay for home modifications, medical equipment, and home care aides to help with daily living tasks like dressing, bathing, meals and medication management.”
– Dr. Charles Mayer, Family Physician, Seattle, WA
Thanks to WA Cares, Dr. Mayer’s patients won’t be forced to sell everything they have to get Medicaid, or be left alone when they need help the most. Washington long-term care benefits will pay for help at your home when you need it. That means healthier communities and a healthier economy. Like Dr. Mayer, we are “proud to live in Washington where we are finding equitable ways to address the challenges of costly care as we age.”
Dr. Charles Mayer’s Story
People want to stay home when their health declines.
When Mary couldn’t take care of herself anymore, her daughter-in-law Linda wanted to help her age at home. But Mary didn’t qualify for Medicaid, and they were surprised to find out Medicare wouldn’t help them get long-term care.
So Linda faced a tough choice. She could leave her full time job or pay out of pocket for someone to come help Mary make meals, get to the bathroom, and take medications.
Linda had already tried to find Washington long-term care four times for family members. They had either become seriously ill, injured, or were aging.
Dozens of my patients feel the same way. Even my own parents do. They want to stay home when their health declines. They expect needing help with dressing, bathing, and other daily tasks. When that time comes, the issue that comes up for all my patients is how to pay for Washington long-term care.
Washington long-term care has been inaccessible before WA cares.
According to a recent poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation, one in five Americans receives unpaid care from a family member or close friend. They need professional help at home from a paid nurse or home care aide — but they do not qualify for Medicaid [source].
Unfortunately, private long-term care insurance is expensive. It is $7,000 a year on average for someone 65, and goes up as they get older. Plus, companies often exclude people with pre-existing conditions like heart disease and diabetes [source].
I tell my patients — “you may think Medicare or other insurance will cover care at home should you need it — it will not. You’ll have to tap into your savings, your home equity, or worse, declare bankruptcy.”
I think about Nina Valerio and her husband who paid their skyrocketing long-term care insurance premiums on time every time. But now their insurance company is providing just a few hours a day of homecare. Meanwhile, Nina struggles to care day and night for her husband who has multiple myeloma, sudden right-eye blindness, dementia, and prostate cancer.
Unfortunately, their situation is all too common. According to a recent investigation of consumer complaints filed with the WA Office of the Insurance Commissioner, many big long-term care insurance companies prey on consumers. They use “bait and switch” tactics, increase premiums by up to 300% with no warning, drop coverage with no refund, and delay and deny promised benefits [source].
This is a national problem. Washington State is the first state in the U.S. to create a public benefit program to fix it.
The WA Cares Fund was created to help millions of working people with Washington long-term care.
WA Cares is a giant step in the right direction.
Just like Medicare and Social Security, we pay into WA Cares while we’re working. It’s there for us when we’re injured, sick, or not able to care for ourselves safely.
It’s disappointing that some wealthy politicians who don’t have to worry about affording or accessing long-term care are opposing it. Corporate long-term care insurance companies are trying to damage and repeal the program. They’re spreading misinformation and stoking fear. Without this program, tens of thousands of Washingtonians would go without care, or have to empty out their savings and file for Medicaid.
Better Washington long-term care choices lead to better, longer lives.
This is an issue of healthcare as well as equity. It doesn’t matter if you’re urban or rural or what your income, politics, race, or gender is. Everyone is better off when all Washingtonians can count on reliable, flexible, affordable benefits to help pay for care.
Making long-term care affordable and accessible is key to better health and wellbeing.
I’m a family doctor. My whole mission in life is for my patients and my community to be as healthy as possible. You would think long-term care is covered by insurance, by Medicare, by other services and other insurance plans.
It’s not. You’re on your own. And a lot of people end up without resources at the end of their lives. And if you ask almost anyone toward the end of their life where do they want to be? They’ll all say surrounded by their loved ones at home, and this [WA Cares] allows it to happen. Support the Washington Cares fund. Support it please.
Let Us Know How WA Cares Will Help Your Family
Learn more about Washington long-term care and how The WA Cares Fund is providing affordable benefits.