A bill to incorporate portability of long-term care benefits in the WA Cares Fund program has passed the Legislature.
HB 2467 was sponsored by Rep. Nicole Macri (D–Seattle). The bill makes a number of changes to the WA Cares Fund program:
- Permits certain qualifying employees and self-employed people to continue participating in the WA Cares Fund long-term care program if they relocate outside of Washington.
- Permits eligible beneficiaries who relocate out-of-state to access benefits starting July 1, 2030.
- Sets minimum standards for out-of-state entities providing services to out-of-state WA Cares Fund beneficiaries.
- Requires the Department of Social & Health Services (DSHS) to develop rules on qualifying family members as caregivers for the purposes of compensation under WA Cares Fund.
- Prohibits discrimination against any person based on race, gender, age, or pre-existing condition for the purposes of administering the WA Cares Fund program.
The bill has an effective date of July 1, 2025. The bill passed the House on February 12 with a 58-39 vote and passed the Senate on February 28 with a 27-21 vote. It is now on its way to the Governor’s desk.
HB 2467 comes as I-2124 is expected to go to the November ballot and may impact the long-term viability of the WA Cares Fund program. A similar proposal, SB 6072, would have also provided for benefits portability as well as set up a supplemental insurance market and made additional changes to program exemptions. That bill made it through the Senate but never made it through to a vote of the full House. We wrote about the bill here.