# 119-hr-2082: WISH Act

119-hr-2082, WISH Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Suozzi, Thomas R. [D-NY-3] (D-NY); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2082
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-2082
- Congress: 119
- Title: WISH Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-03-11
- Sponsor: Rep. Suozzi, Thomas R. [D-NY-3] (D-NY)
- Cosponsors: 5
- Policy area: Social Welfare
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**A federally funded long-term care insurance program** would create a national benefit and trust fund to help cover long-term services and supports for people who meet new coverage and disability rules. - Seniors and disabled adults could qualify for a monthly long-term care insurance benefit if they have at least 6 quarters of coverage during a base period beginning in 2026 and a continual serious functional disability expected to last at least 1 year. The payment would be tied to the median cost of 6 hours per day of paid personal assistance and scaled by the number of covered quarters up to 40. - Families and caregivers get rules for hiring paid nonfamily caregivers that require state and federal wage and withholding compliance. LTCI payments would not count as income or resources for any federal, state, or local program funded with federal money, and benefits stop if a recipient lives outside the United States for more than five consecutive years. - The bill would set up a Federal Long-Term Care Insurance Trust Fund, authorize initial appropriations of $12.0 million annually for 2026–2028 for program start up and benefits and $50.0 million for public education, require SSA outreach and a 10-year plan, and mandate GAO reviews every five years and HHS planning for unmet long-term care needs.

## Cosponsors (5)

- Rep. Moolenaar, John R. [R-MI-2] (R-MI), 2025-03-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mann, Tracey [R-KS-1] (R-KS), 2025-09-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick, Sheila [D-FL-20] (D-FL), 2025-09-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] (R-NJ), 2025-12-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McDonald Rivet, Kristen [D-MI-8] (D-MI), 2025-12-02T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New long-term care benefit for seniors: benefit, high. If enacted, retirees could get a monthly long‑term care payment. You would need to apply, be at retirement age, have at least 6 quarters of coverage since early 2026, and be chronically ill for at least 12 months or until death. The required duration would be 12 months at or below the 40th earnings…
- Long-term care payments wouldn't count for SNAP and Medicaid: benefit, medium. If enacted, your long‑term care insurance payments would not count as income or assets for any federal or federally funded program. This could help you or your spouse keep or qualify for programs like Medicaid or SNAP.
- Public education and oversight on long-term care: benefit, medium. Within 90 days, HHS would publish a 10‑year plan to teach the public about long‑term care needs, costs, and planning options, and update it based on research. The Trustees would report to Congress after 5 years and every 5 years on program impact and possible geographic adjustments. GAO would repor…
- Trust fund and start-up money for long-term care: benefit, medium. If enacted, a new Federal Long‑Term Care Insurance Trust Fund would be created to run the program. The Fund could pay start‑up and administrative costs and invest in conservative securities. The bill would set aside $12 million for each of FY 2026, FY 2027, and FY 2028 for start‑up and benefits, pl…
- SSA would give long-term care estimates: benefit, low. Starting one year after enactment, SSA would share your long‑term care earnings, percentile rank, and quarters of coverage. SSA would mail a notice within 540 days and again when you turn 45, 55, 65, and retirement age. If you are 35 or older, the info would be posted to your SSA online account and…
- Yearly check-in and caregiver rules: cost, medium. If enacted, beneficiaries would need to send a yearly statement. You would confirm you still meet the chronic‑illness test, list your country of residence, and certify wage and tax compliance if you hire a paid non‑family caregiver. No benefit would be paid for months when these rules are not met.…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-1422: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act
- 119-hr-516: To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the railroad track maintenance credit.

## Sources
- [119-hr-2082 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2082)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-1422: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1422)
- [119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3514)
- [119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2102)
- [119-hr-516: To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the railroad track mainten…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-516)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2082 (as of 2026-04-21).