For a nation as wealthy as the United States, its state-funded public health insurance sector has always been criticized until Obamacare was introduced back in the day. However, the state of Washington has gone a step further and is all set to sign into law, a social insurance program that is going to take care of the long term health care costs of people in the state. As everyone knows, the costs of health care can are not merely restricted to hospitalization or surgery; it can often lead to long term costs for an individual, and that is what the Long Term Care Trust Act seeks to address. The legislation was passed in the state legislature in April but on Monday, Governor of the State of Washington Jay Inslee signed it into law, and it is the first time in the history of the United States that a state is going to manage a program that takes care of long term health care costs of its citizens.
The program in itself is simple. A resident of the state of Washington will pay 58 cents for every $100 that he earns and the state trust will manage the money. Once the resident has contributed to the trust for three years, he is then eligible to get $100 a day for long term health care costs. However, the total payout is capped at $36,500. Even then it is a significant amount of money and will particularly be helpful for older adults. The money can be used in a range of ways, starting from the installation of a ramp or for having food delivered to the house or even for covering costs of transport to and from a health care clinic.
However, it is important to keep in mind that the program is universal in nature and any citizen, irrespective of age can contribute towards the trust and claim benefits when he needs it. An expert stated, “It expands options for people who need care, aging adults, or people with disabilities.”