Washington State Voters Keep Public Long-Term Care Insurance

Voters in Washington State have decided to keep the state’s first-in-the-nation public long term care insurance program. On Tuesday, they easily rejected a ballot initiative that would have killed the far-reaching law.

The WA Cares law provides up to $36,500 in long-term care insurance benefits, with the amount increasing with inflation. It is funded with a payroll tax surcharge of 0.58 percent on all workers in the state. For a median income worker, who makes about $78,000, that equals about $450 annually, or about $9 a week.