skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Alabama woman works to help returning citizens rebuild their lives; Marist polls: Harris leads Trump in Michigan, Wisconsin; they're tied in Pennsylvania; UAW contract negotiations at VW focus on healthcare, safety, wages; NC dentists warn of crisis due to low Medicaid reimbursement rates.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rising threats of political violence, a Federal Reserve rate cut, crypto industry campaign contributions and reproductive rights are shaping today's political landscape.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

WA Lawmakers Asked to Prep for the "Age Wave"

play audio
Play

Monday, January 5, 2015   

OLYMPIA, Wash. - It could be a tough sell in a year of such competing issues as education, mental health, and transportation, but advocates for Washington seniors and people with disabilities say 2015 also should be the year that the state does some serious planning for an "age wave" of soon-to-be retirees financially unprepared for old age.

A Joint Legislative Executive Committee on Aging and Disability submitted its findings just before Christmas. Its report notes 80 percent of all long-term care services and supports are now delivered by family members, in part because most people who need them can't afford to pay for them.

Jerry Reilly, executive director of the Washington Health Care Association, says lawmakers, some of whom face these issues in their own families, will be sympathetic.

"This is not a partisan issue," Reilly says. "There's no Republican or Democratic way to grow old, or have frailty. There's a lot of good will among the legislators to get this done, but we have to give them a road map and a way to begin."

Reilly says a coalition will ask the Legislature to explore public-private partnership options, similar to unemployment insurance, that could help families pay for long-term care in the future. The alternative, he warns, is busting the state budget as the older population balloons in the next 15 years.

The coalition also wants lawmakers to allow small and medium-sized businesses to offer "portable" retirement savings accounts, to prompt more workers to plan for their future. Cathy MacCaul, advocacy director with AARP Washington, says currently only one in four Washingtonians is able to pay for long-term support services from his or her own savings.

"The cost of a nursing home is $90,000," says MacCaul. "Assisted living facility, assisted care, is $42,000. Just having a home health aide is $20,000. A majority of the people are not going to be able to pay for those types of long-term supports and services when they need it."

AARP and other coalition members say Washington has one of the best long-term care systems in the country. Its goal is to keep as many people as possible at home as they age, where care is less expensive for the state and for families. But it won't keep up with the "age wave" without some changes.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
Recipients of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant can now access funding to drive financing for thousands of climate-focused and clean energy initiatives. (bilanol/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Michigan's most vulnerable communities are receiving federal funding to fight the devastating effects of climate change. It's part of the $27 billion …


Environment

play sound

A new report contends fossil fuel funding has biased Columbia University's climate research. The report, by two Columbia students, shows the …

Social Issues

play sound

An Alabama woman is on a mission to help people who've been incarcerated for decades successfully transition back into society. The mission to …


So far in 2024, community health centers in North Dakota have screened 11,580 patients for food insecurity. Through those screenings, more than three thousand box meals have been distributed. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

September is Hunger Action Month. In North Dakota, it isn't just food banks trying to help underserved populations get nutritious items. Health …

Environment

play sound

Marine biologists conducting deep dives near five California islands are collecting data they hope will strengthen the case for ending gillnet fishing…

AI queries require about 10 times the electricity of traditional internet searches and the generation of original music, photos and videos requires much more, according to the Electric Power Research Institute. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Researchers at Iowa State University are taking aim at the huge amount of energy used by data centers, now and in the future. They have developed a …

Environment

play sound

Rising demands for clean energy efficiency are producing a wealth of work opportunities in Illinois. These in-demand jobs are also promoting a …

Social Issues

play sound

Like polling from other battleground states, the race for the White House remains close in Wisconsin. But fresh numbers out this week show some …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021