When a loved one can no longer manage on their own, most families discover the same hard truth: the system they assumed would help them largely does not. Medicare does not cover long-term care. Private insurance has become unaffordable for most households. And Medicaid requires families to exhaust nearly all of their savings before qualifying for a single dollar of assistance.
What Is Long-Term Care?
Long-term care is the ongoing support people need when illness, disability, or aging makes daily tasks difficult to manage alone — bathing, dressing, eating, managing medications, getting around. According to the federal government, roughly 70% of Americans will need this kind of care at some point in their lives. Most have no way to pay for it.
Washington State is about to change that — for its residents, at least.
A First in the Nation
On July 1, 2026, Washington State launches the WA Cares Fund — the first publicly funded long-term care insurance program in American history.
How it works:
- Workers contribute 0.58% of their paycheck — about $24 a month on a $50,000 salary
- In return, they earn a lifetime benefit of up to $36,500 to spend on care when they need it
- Benefits are adjusted annually for inflation
What the benefit covers:
- Professional in-home care aides
- Compensation for a family member providing care
- Home modifications — ramps, widened doorways, safety equipment
- Transportation and meal delivery
- Assisted living and memory care costs
Workers qualify after contributing for 10 years — or just three of the prior six years if a sudden care need arises.
"It's not a lot. But for a lot of people, it's just what they need to get them through a crisis." — Cathy Knight, Washington Association of Area Agencies on Aging (AARP, May 2026)
Where Does New York Stand?
New York does not yet have a program like this. But legislation is moving.
Senate Bill S1179, currently in committee, would create a New York Long Term Care Trust Program modeled on Washington’s approach — funded through payroll withholding, available to all working New Yorkers regardless of income or assets.
The urgency is real:
- By 2030, more than 5.3 million New Yorkers will be over the age of 60
- The demand for care — and the financial gap families face — will only grow
- Washington’s program took over a decade of advocacy to become law
What You Can Do
📋 Track Senate Bill S1179 at nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S1179
📣 Contact your state senator and assembly member — let them know long-term care matters
💬 Share what you know — most New York caregivers need to know more about Long-Term Care.
For New York caregivers, Washington’s program offers something rare — a working model that another state can follow. Senate Bill S1179 is a start. Whether it becomes law depends on how loudly families make the case for it.
Sources: AARP, May 2026 (aarp.org/states/washington/wa-cares-fund-2026); WA Cares Fund (wacaresfund.wa.gov); NY State Senate Bill S1179 (nysenate.gov); New York State Department of Health; U.S. Administration for Community Living (longtermcare.acl.gov)