Home-care providers for older Washingtonians and people with disabilities are pushing back on potential cuts to the state’s long-term care services.
The Department of Health and Human Services has been asked to consider cuts, since the pandemic has shot a hole in the state budget. It could mean a $1.1 billion reduction in long-term care services for the 2021 through 2023 budget.
Miranda Bridges, an individual provider and member of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 775 who cares for her mother, said lawmakers should consider how many people access these services.
«It may come a time for them, or maybe for somebody else that they care about, that they’re going to need somebody to be there for their loved ones,» Bridges explained. «But if they keep cutting and keep taking away the hours from the home-care workers, it’s going to be really tough.»
State lawmakers are looking at a $3.3 billion budget shortfall through 2023, according to a forecast from last year.