On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti The Jackpod: The other Washington
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Oct 24, 2025 Jack Beatty, an On Point news analyst, shares insights on Washington state’s pioneering long-term care social insurance program. He frames it as a model for potential political reforms across the U.S. Beatty dives into the program's mechanics, discussing wage deductions and eligibility criteria. He warns of federal paralysis affecting future social policy and explores the implications of electoral trends, population shifts, and the need for regional cooperation. The discussion highlights the personal impact of these policies, making a compelling case for balancing political strategies with human costs.
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States As Laboratories For Social Repair
- Washington State's long-term care plan is a pioneering social insurance experiment outside federal action.
- Jack Beatty argues state innovation will model remedies as federal government stalls.
Design Tradeoffs In State Social Insurance
- Washington's program levies about 1% of wages to fund long-term care benefits.
- The design restricts eligibility and benefit size to control costs and political support.
Regional Compacts To Solve Scale Problems
- State-level fixes face scale limits that may require regional compacts to expand benefits.
- Beatty suggests pooling across states or regions to achieve economies of scale for care and housing.