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OPINION: Dismantle
health-care barriers --
a must-do in the 2005 Legislature
By Rep.
Barbara Bailey
Washington’s health-care
system has serious problems. Health-care costs are skyrocketing in our
state, as are the costs of health care insurance, and are threatening
access to medical care for Washington consumers.
This is especially true
for small employers who provide three out of every four jobs in our
state. Nearly half of all small business employees don’t have health
insurance.
Why?
Because too many government mandates – that is, procedures the
government requires insurance plans to cover – have forced up the costs,
making health plans too expensive for small business operators to
provide. Washington now has 47 health insurance mandates compared to
Idaho, which has only seven.
Many challenges will face
the Washington State Legislature as it begins its legislative session
Jan. 10 in Olympia. Few will be more important this session than the
goal of ensuring health care for all Washingtonians.
If this critical goal is
to be met, several things need to happen during the 2005 session:
1. We need to work to improve Washington’s business climate so that
businesses will stay, grow and prosper and create new jobs with health
benefits.
Most people have access to
health insurance through their employers. In the past three years,
thousands of people have lost their jobs in our state. Many companies
have scaled back, moved away, or closed altogether. When people lose
their jobs, they also lose their employer-provided health insurance
benefits. Sure, temporary COBRA plans cover employees who are fired,
laid-off or downsized. But those are out-of-pocket costs. What good is
that if you have little or no income?
At the peak of this job
loss, Boeing executive Alan Mulally laid part of the blame on state
government, saying unemployment insurance rates are too high, taxes are
too high, government permits are too difficult to get, public education
needs to improve, there are too many state government regulations
(15,126 pages of them) and traffic congestion has to be fixed.
We have made progress in
some of those areas and, in fact, we are beginning to see improvements
to our state’s economy. However, if we want to increase access to health
care, we must address these problems and improve our state’s business
climate so that employers can create more jobs and provide health care
benefits to employees.
2. We need to eliminate excessive government mandates that drive up
costs and reduce access and choice.
One size does not fit all
– especially when it comes to health care benefits and costs.
Washington’s mandates requiring health plans to cover particular and
extensive conditions has driven up the costs for all, making health
insurance unaffordable to many employers, especially small businesses.
If we are to improve access to affordable health care, we must provide
flexibility for employers and their employees to have options to choose
from.
3. We need to distinguish between health insurance and a health-care
plan, and provide more options.
Most people think health
insurance IS their health-care plan. Not so. Insurance is to protect
against risk, not for use to offset daily costs. You insure your car
hoping you’ll never get into an accident. You don’t use that insurance
to pay for a flat tire. You also have options from which to choose –
full coverage, comprehensive, and the minimum requirement of liability
insurance. The more coverage you buy, the more expensive it is. Yet in
health insurance, we’ve upped expectations and limited the options.
You may hardly ever see
the doctor except for a checkup, yet the government expects you to be
fully covered – and that’s what drives up costs. A person in this
category might be better served with a smaller “catastrophic coverage”
plan for major needs like a hospital stay, which would be more
affordable to the consumer. Again, one size does not fit all. You should
have the option of getting the coverage most appropriate for your
individual health needs. Whether you choose the “full-meal” deal or a
downsized plan, you should pay more or less, depending upon the options
you have chosen, not what the state says you need.
4. We need to take steps to reduce providers’ costs.
Rising “pain and
suffering” settlements and awards are sending doctors’ medical
malpractice insurance rates through the roof. As a result, either those
costs are passed on to the consumer – or doctors who can no longer
afford malpractice rates limit services, leave the state, or retire
early. With fewer doctors and clinics to provide services, costs
increase which affects access for all patients who need health care. If
we are to ensure access to affordable health care, the Legislature must
take action on comprehensive liability and medical malpractice reform
this year!
Some have suggested that
the silver bullet to our health care problems is government-run
universal coverage that would provide “free” health care.
Free, however, is a myth.
Taxpayers would pay dearly. When Washington started down that road in
1993, more than $2 billion in new taxes were approved to pay for
universal coverage, which fortunately was later repealed. What’s more,
universal care removes choice – choice of doctors, choice of services –
and most disturbingly, would compromise the ability to receive quality
health care on a timely basis.
Government has never
proven itself to operate better, more cost-effectively, or more
efficient than the private sector. Do you really want government in
charge of your health care decisions?
Access to affordable
health care for all of Washington’s residents is complicated but
achievable. We must be willing, however, to take steps that will lower
costs, provide more options and reduce regulations that serve as
barriers against health care. Let’s begin dismantling those barriers
immediately so that affordable health care will no longer be out of
reach for our citizens.
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For more information, contact:
John
Handy, Assistant Director: (360) 786-5758
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