The bill establishes the Essential Worker Health Care Program in Washington to address the workforce crisis in nursing homes, particularly among essential health care workers who are predominantly older women, women of color, and immigrants living near poverty. The program aims to provide high-quality, affordable health coverage to nursing home workers by offering increased funding to nursing home operators who commit to providing such benefits. It encourages the use of cost-effective, large-scale multiemployer health plans and ensures that appropriated funds supplement existing health care funding rather than replace it.

The bill outlines specific requirements for nursing home employers to participate in the program, including entering into a memorandum of understanding with the department, maintaining spending on employee health care benefits, and providing documentation of their health care expenditures. It also establishes a certification process for qualified health funds that meet certain criteria, including participation from multiple employers and compliance with benefit standards. Additionally, the bill includes provisions for enforcement, recoupment of funds for noncompliance, and the necessity of federal approval for the program's implementation.