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Gov. Inslee tells senior advocates making WA Cares optional would likely doom the program
Summary
At the Senior Lobby fall conference, Gov. Jay Inslee praised Washington's long-term care steps and warned that proposals to make the WA Cares program optional would undermine its finances and could cause the program to fail, while urging advocates to stay engaged and vote. He also highlighted climate and clean-energy benefits for seniors.
Governor Jay Inslee urged senior advocates on the conference call to keep defending the state's long-term care program and to stay engaged with their legislators. Inslee, introduced by Walt Bowen of the Senior Citizens Foundation, said Washington has taken "a significant step forward" by creating a statewide long-term care benefit and that losing it would be a major setback for families who rely on those supports.
Inslee described the WA Cares program as an important way for Washingtonians to "age with dignity" and said the program's improvements since passage reflect work by senior advocates and officials. Asked about a ballot measure that would make participation optional, he declined to take a political position but warned that, as a practical matter, making a social-insurance program optional would make it unsustainable. "The consequences of making it optional are the death of the program," Inslee said, adding that he had not seen a credible design to keep it solvent if the change passes.
The governor also framed the conversation about seniors within broader state policy, citing Washington's investments in clean energy and climate protections and the effect those policies can have on seniors on fixed incomes. He described programs that have reduced utility bills for older residents and said state investments in heat pumps, school bus electrification and other measures were part of a broader approach to protect households from extreme weather and high energy costs.
Inslee closed by urging attendees to stay active in civic engagement, encouraging people to vote and to build relationships with their legislators so voices from senior-serving organizations are heard year-round. The conference continued with presentations from federal and state officials and program managers across long-term care, health and emergency preparedness.
