What we can do as a state to
transform our health care system

We have been hearing a lot about the national health care debate in the news. As a state representative and a member of the House Health Care and Wellness Committee, I am watching closely how proposals in Washington, D.C. could affect the people I serve.

There is no question we are facing a health care problem. We need to transform our current system so families and individuals can afford health care, but how we go about it is the key. Too many times we have seen ideas put on the political fast track only to learn later they made the problem worse. I understand the urgency of the times, but it is better to be deliberate and effective, than quick and destructive.

One aspect being ignored at the national level is that states have the ability to make significant health care reforms right now. It is our responsibility as state lawmakers to ensure access to quality, affordable health care for Washington’s citizens. As a fresh voice in Olympia, it baffles me that our governor and the majority party in the Legislature continue to wait for Washington, D.C. to solve Washington state’s problems. I have heard it in committee hearings and from the House floor – leaders in Olympia choosing to wait for a nationally-run health care system, rather than work on real solutions in the present time. Our nation’s capital has a long history of ill-fated health care projects, and who knows if what they pass will benefit our state. Washington state has always been a leader in many public policy areas, but in health care it remains paralyzed at this most critical time.

Now is the time for us to put people before politics and address our state’s health care problems head on. Let me share with you some solutions.

To read the rest of my health care opinion piece, please click here.

A message from
Rep. Jaime Herrera