STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX – Assistant Minority Leader Steve Farley, D-Tucson (District 28), sponsored a bill that would make long-term health care more affordable for middle-class families, which received final passage in the Arizona House of Representatives with bipartisan support today.

“We have taken a step in the right direction for Arizonans by allowing some financial relief for middle-class families,” Farley said. “This will help families better manage medical long-term care expenses for themselves and the seniors they love, without growing the size or scope of government.”

The bill will allow taxpayers to fund a tax-deductible savings account to pay for non-hospital expenses, such as nursing home care, home health care, and assisted or alternative family living. It also would allow taxpayers to take deductions for long-term health care insurance premiums.

“This is a deeply personal issue for me. My mother passed away last year and spent the last three years of her life in long-term care,” Farley said during the House vote. “This is an issue that is or soon will be vitally important to many Arizonans and I am grateful for the support of my colleagues."

HB 2713 received a unanimous final pass vote of 60-0 in the House and now goes to the governor.

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