Coalition Calls on Gov. Jay Inslee to Address LTCi

October 8th, 2021

A diverse coalition of Washington employers, labor organizations, and local governments is calling on Gov. Jay Inslee to intervene in the state’s problematic long-term care insurance program before it hits workers in the wallets this January.

In a letter to the governor, the Association of Washington Business (AWB) urges the formation of a bipartisan legislative leadership group to address numerous concerns with the Long-Term Services and Supports Trust (LTSST) and to consider pausing collection of a new payroll tax scheduled to begin Jan. 1, 2022.

The Legislature established the LTSST in 2019, but changes to the legislation over the last two legislative sessions “have created a program that is unclear, insolvent and does not address the actual long-term care needs of all Washington state residents,” the letter states.

The coalition notes that its members support the goal of giving Washington residents options to provide for their long-term care needs, but the current status of the LTSST program creates obstacles rather than options.

Formed in 1904, the Association of Washington Business is Washington’s oldest and largest statewide business association and includes nearly 7,000 members representing 700,000 employees.

AWB serves as both the state’s chamber of commerce and the manufacturing and technology association. AWB also has a longstanding record of working on behalf of companies in many other industries such as retail, wholesale, communications, services, agriculture, transportation, hospitality, and construction.

To read the full letter, click here.

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