Premise: Washington’s Legislature is looking at a long-term care funding plan. Bipartisan legislation would create one year of long-term care insurance for Washington residents through a payroll deduction. Sarita Gupta, the co-director of Caring Across Generations, says this would help some 830-thousand family caregivers who are now caring for Baby Boomer parents. Gupta notes that Medicare doesn’t cover long-term care. The House Committee on Health Care and Wellness held a hearing on House Bill 2533 earlier this week. Hawaii has a similar program that supporters say helps keep healthcare costs down.
Hypothesis: 830 thousand family caregivers in Hawaii are part of a program that keeps health care costs down.