Hopeful messages on long-term-care fall short; exemptions continue

Administrators of Washington state’s long-term-care law are hitting news outlets and providing health care writers with messages of hope about a social program they say will provide “peace of mind,” even though it does nothing of the sort.

The government website selling the WA Cares program says, “By contributing a small amount from each paycheck while we’re working, we can all pay for long-term care when we need it.” But that’s far from the case. Washingtonians who move out of state after retirement and have long-term-care needs won’t benefit from the program, regardless of how much of their...