The proposed bill establishes the Essential Worker Health Care Program in Washington, aimed at addressing the workforce crisis in nursing homes, where many workers are older women, women of color, and immigrants living near poverty. The program intends 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. The bill outlines the requirements for nursing home employers to participate, including entering into a memorandum of understanding with the department, maintaining spending on employee health care benefits, and ensuring that funds appropriated for this purpose supplement existing health care funding.

Additionally, the bill includes provisions for the certification of qualified health funds by the Office of the Insurance Commissioner, which must meet specific criteria to ensure compliance and effectiveness. It establishes a recoupment process for supplemental payments made to employers that fail to comply with program requirements, including audits and opportunities for appeal. The implementation of the program is contingent upon receiving federal approval for financial participation from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Overall, the bill aims to stabilize the nursing home workforce and improve the quality of care through enhanced health care benefits for essential workers.