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Hinkle calls attention to
bad health care legislation
Rep.
Bill Hinkle, ranking Republican member on the House Health Care
committee, is calling on the majority party to cease passing health care
policy that would increase cost and limit choices for the state of
Washington.
“There are two bills before the Health Care Committee today that would
continue the failed policies of health care by the majority party,” said
Hinkle, R-Cle Elum. “These bills would insert more government into
health care policy and reduce choice for patients. This is absolutely
going in the wrong direction. We have to reduce government regulation
and resist government control by bringing more patient options to the
marketplace. Then patients can make their own health care decisions.”
Hinkle is referring to House Bill 2499, which would grant the state
insurance commissioner the authority to review and approve health plan
rates He’s also talking about HB 2572, which would establish a program
for small employers with the state Health Care Authority.
“HB 2499 has the state insurance commissioner interfering with the
competitive marketplace,” Hinkle said. “Why is state government deciding
the policy that consumers are allowed to purchase? We need to keep
government officials out of our families’ healthcare decisions and let
competition and private enterprise prosper in a favorable environment.
“It seems like the insurance commissioner doesn’t understand that you
can’t require insurance companies to insure people. This interference by
the insurance commissioner will only drive more insurers out of this
state and reduce the number of choices patients have. We need to invest
in the individual, not government.”
Hinkle said that both these bills make employers and employees more
dependent on state government. “These bills don’t get to the root cause
of rising health care costs in this state—lack of competition in the
marketplace. This is more of the same failed health policy that we’ve
seen from the majority party over the last several years.”
The bills are being considered by the House Health Care Committee today.
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For more information, contact:
John Handy, Assistant
Communications Director - (360) 786-5758
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