EDITORIAL
GOP should rethink long-term-care plan

It's disappointing that Senate Republicans have decided to oppose an innovative plan to provide Islanders with some relief in the long-term care of the elderly.

Saying this plan would end up "costing twice as much and doing twice as less," Sen. Fred Hemmings, R-25th (Kailua-Waimanalo), said there's no need for government to get involved because private long-term care is affordable and readily available.

He may honestly believe that now. But our guess is that, if Sen. Hemmings is anything like the rest of us, he's in for a rude shock when he honestly appraises the options he'll face in his twilight years. Long-term care is expensive and sometimes not available at any price.

The long-term-care proposal comes from a committee organized by First Lady Vicky Cayetano, which perhaps explains some of the Republicans' derision. Perhaps they think they can paint Mrs. Cayetano — most unfairly — with shades of Hillary Clinton's unsuccessful foray into the healthcare field.

The proposal would provide basic payments of around $70 a day (in today's dollars) for up to a year's worth of care for the elderly. While this hardly would cover the costs of all long-term care, nor eliminate the need for private insurance, it would at least provide a basic safety net where none now exists.

It would help keep the elderly in their own homes or with their families for a longer period of time — which offers social and economic benefits to the entire community.

As a community, we will be paying these costs one way or another. This is a straightforward and relatively inexpensive way to deal with something we wish opponents would recognize as a social obligation.

Opponents would have you believe the long-term-care plan is no different from all the other taxes you pay. But we think most voters can recognize the difference between, say, an income tax, which funds every kind of service the government performs, and the Social Security tax, which is a lot more like an insurance or annuity payment, because the proceeds are used exclusively for its stated purpose.

The state House has approved a bill creating the plan. Senate Republicans should rethink their opposition and climb aboard.