An article in Stateline today looks at options for paying for long-term care and includes a roundup of state activity on the topic. Of course, Washington adopted a public long-term care insurance program this year that will be funded with a payroll tax (we wrote about it in a recent policy brief).

Other states are also thinking about long-term care, but none appear to be close to following Washington’s lead. Hawaii gives residents $70 a day to care for family members, and some long-term care services are provided to residents, but these programs are funded from the state’s general fund. Private-sector options are on the table in Minnesota (including requiring that supplemental Medicare policies include long-term care and allowing term life insurance policies to convert to a long-term care product). Arizona is considering a pilot program to pay people up to $1,000 a year for taking care of family members at home. Michigan, Illinois, and California are studying the issue. A ballot initiative in Maine that would have funded a long-term care plan with higher income taxes failed last year.

Stateline notes the $36,500 lifetime benefits limit in Washington’s program, and quotes state Rep. Laurie Jinkins:

“People hear that and think that’s not very much,” Jinkins said. But she said the plan was based on what the average Washingtonian needs.

“Some people will need much more,” she said. “And others will need much less.”

Indeed, the lifelong benefits won’t pay for a year in a nursing home, so many future beneficiaries may need additional funding for care. The program also contains many uncertainties from a state budget and tax policy perspective. As we noted in our brief, since this program is the first of its kind nationally, “there is a reasonable chance of unexpected costs and outcomes.”