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House approves Bailey's
health cost study bill
Legislation
would identify cost drivers of health insurance
Lawmakers in Olympia want
to know why health insurance is so expensive. Today, the House of
Representatives unanimously approved a bill sponsored by
Rep.
Barbara Bailey that would attempt to find some answers.
House Bill 1538 would direct the Office of the Insurance
Commissioner to contract for an independent study of the state's
insurance regulations. The study would investigate specific health
benefit mandates, rating requirements, and other rules and laws
identified as contributing most to the cost of
health insurance.
Bailey, R-Oak Harbor,
believes nearly 50 health insurance mandates in Washington are a major
factor. However, she says it's time to find out for certain what is
making health insurance so expensive.
"In addition to mandated
health services, statutory rating requirements and other regulations are
believed to be adding costs to our insurance. This bill would require
the insurance commissioner to contract an independent review of all
existing health care coverage and statutory rating requirements," said
Bailey. "Hopefully, it will give us some answers."
Bailey said the study
would also seek to determine the impact on premiums and individuals'
health if statutes or rules identified as cost drivers were amended or
repealed.
"Not only could we find
out what is driving costs, this cost-benefit analysis would also give us
the full picture by helping us know if it would be more expensive to
remove some mandates," said Bailey.
The bill would require the
Office of the Insurance Commissioner to submit an interim report to the
governor and appropriate legislative committees by Dec. 1, 2007. A final
report would be due Dec. 1, 2008.
"Everybody knows that
health insurance costs are high in Washington. However, until we study
what's causing the insurance costs to be so high as compared to other
states, we will never be able to knowledgeably address this issue. That's
why I've long supported a study," said Bailey. "This year, the legislation has the
backing of the Governor's Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Care because
it's language comes directly from the commission's recommendations."
The measure, approved
97-0, now goes to the Senate for further consideration.
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For more information, contact:
John
Sattgast, Public Information Officer: (360) 786-7257
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