2024 Washington Initiative 2124

Initiative 2124

November 5, 2024
This measure would provide that employees and self-employed people must elect to keep coverage under RCW 50B.04 and could opt-out any time. It would also repeal a law governing an exemption for employees.
Results
Choice Votes % ✔ Yes 1,668,435 44.54% ✖ No 2,077,216 55.46% Valid votes 3,745,651 100.00% Invalid or blank votes 0 0.00% Total votes 3,745,651 100.00%
County results Congressional district results Precinct results Yes   90–100%   80–90%   70–80%   60–70%   50–60% No   90–100%   80–90%   70–80%   60–70%   50–60% Other   Tie   No votes

Initiative No. 2124 (I-2124) was a ballot initiative in the US State of Washington that appeared on the November 5, 2024 ballot. The initiative, if passed, would have made participation in Washington's state-run long term health insurance program (WA Cares) voluntary rather than mandatory.^[1] The initiative was one of six brought to the state legislature by Let's Go Washington, a Redmond-based political action committee founded by businessman and hedge fund manager Brian Heywood.^[2]

The program known as WA Cares has its roots in the Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Act (Trust Act), which the Washington state legislature passed in 2019.^[3] WA Cares is a program is a first-in-the-nation program that provides coverage for long term care costs for Washingtonians, though with a lifetime maximum benefit that started at $36,500 (and whose cap was indexed to inflation).^[4][5] Under the Trust Act, all workers in the state would be required to contribute to the program unless they had acquired private long term care insurance by 2021.^[4] Workers pay a 0.58% tax on their income (which began in July 2023) and become eligible for the benefits in July of 2026.^[6]

WA Cares became one of six issues selected by the Let's Go Washington PAC in 2023 to be included in an initiative petition campaign.^[2] The argument made by the organization was that the existing benefit was inadequate to meet citizen needs and that the benefits were not portable.^[7] A total of 2.6 million signatures were collected across the 6 issues, including the WA Cares repeal effort, which cleared 324,516 signature threshold required for issue consideration for the 2024 election cycle.^[8] I-2124 was the last of the six initiatives to be submitted for consideration.^[9] I-2124 was certified by the Secretary of State on January 23, 2024, and introduced to the state legislature on January 29, 2024.^[10][11] In February of 2024, Democratic legislative leaders ruled out any movement on I-2124 in the legislature itself, putting the initiative on track for consideration by the public during the 2024 general election.^[12][13]

I-2117 placed the following question before the citizens of Washington:^[14]

Initiative Measure No. 2124 concerns state long term care insurance.

This measure would provide that employees and self-employed people must elect to keep coverage under RCW 50B.04 and could opt-out any time. It would also repeal a law governing an exemption for employees.

Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes No

If passed, I-2124 would have created an opt-out option which would repeal the payroll tax for those opting out but also make them ineligible for the benefit.^[15] However, the decrease in payroll tax revenues could create what some insurers call a "death spiral", causing the program to become insolvent within a few years of beginning to pay out benefits.^[15]

As of October 31, 2024, Let's Go Washington and the Taxpayers Accountability Alliance are registered as sponsors of the initiative.^[16]

As of October 31, 2024, the 45th district Democratic Party, the AARP No on I-2124 Committee, Defend Washington, Fuse Voters, the No on 2124 PAC, Protect Washington, the SEIU 775 Ballot Fund, and the Stop Greed PAC are registered as opponents of the initiative.^[16]

I-2124 failed with less than 45% of ballots cast in favor.^[23]