Should WA Cares be Optional? The case for YES on I-2124

Soundside

This election season we’re bringing you conversations on all of the statewide initiatives on the November ballot.

Most recently, we looked at both sides of the Capital Gains Tax Repeal.

This week, we’re taking a deep dive into I-2124: it’s the initiative that would give Washington voters the option to OPT-OUT of the WA Cares long term services insurance program.

Gov. Inslee signed the bill that created WA Cares into law back in 2019. It’s a kind of “social insurance plan,” which would extend a one-time benefit of $36,500 to people who pay into the program, to help them cover the cost of long-term care.

Right now, most Washington workers pay about 58 cents into the program for every 100 dollars earned. If you make $50,000 dollars a year, that’s about 24 dollars a month.

There was a delay in getting the payroll deduction started because of COVID, then an opt-out period, so payroll deductions for the plan didn’t actually kick in until July of last year.
The first claims for WA Cares benefits can be filed starting July 1st, 2026.

A vote of "Yes" on Initiative 2124 would make the program optional, instead of a payroll tax applying to most workers with a W-2.

We’ll hear both sides of I-2124 this week: TODAY, we’re talking to the YES side.

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Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

GUEST: Elizabeth New - Policy Analyst and the Director of the Centers for Worker Rights and Health Care at the Washington Policy Center

RELATED LINKS:

• Washington Initiative 2124, Opt-Out of Long-Term Services Insurance Program Initiative (2024) - Ballotpedia
• Vote ‘yes’ on I-2124 and make WA Cares participation optional | The Seattle Times
• The Seattle Times editorial board recommends: Vote ‘yes’ on Initiative 2124 and give residents more choice on WA Cares

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