CSD hosts a debate on the WA Cares Fund

The Center for Speech & Debate kicked off 2022 with a debate on the long-term health care policy, the Washington Cares Fund. Students in the COM 234: Public Debate class studied the WA Cares debate for weeks, reading and analyzing the case for and against the payroll tax (.58%) funded state long-term health care insurance plan. The plan was voted into being by the WA State Legislature and signed by Governor Inslee but was suspended in January 2022 due to a need to amend the bill. For a background on WA Cares, you might read Santos’s article on Crosscut.

Given that WA Cares is undergoing modification, we made the resolution a bit more global: The Washington Cares Fund is good for Washingtonians.

Jessica Gomez Barrios, coalition manager for Washingtonians for a Responsible Future, argued the affirmative.

Elizabeth Hovde of the Washington Policy Center argued the negative.

The debate was held March 2, 2022.