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Orcutt legislation links tax
relief with
health care access, improvements
Rep. Ed Orcutt
is putting his legislative experience with tax issues to work on
Washington’s health care crisis. The result is a pair of bills
introduced today by the third-term Kalama lawmaker, who is lead
Republican on the House Finance Committee.
“If we’re serious about reducing the cost of health care, we should be
looking at it across the board, in all government policies. The effect
of government’s tax policies on health care has been overlooked because
of the focus on insurance and liability. It’s time to expand the
discussion,” said Orcutt.
House Bill 1275 would encourage physicians to continue practicing in
Washington by reducing the rate of business and occupation tax they must
pay the state.
“Physicians pay a B&O tax of 1.5 percent. That’s more than 10 times the
B&O tax on companies that warehouse prescription drugs – which is .138
percent,” Orcutt explained. “What good does it do to have warehouses of
prescription drugs if there are no doctors to prescribe them? Too many
doctors have left our state, but this bill could help keep the ones we
have left.”
The second measure, House Bill 1274, would help employers handle the
additional costs of supplying insurance for mental health services that
is on a par with medical and surgical insurance.
“It’s designed to
encourage employers to provide comprehensive mental health coverage to
their employees. By giving a tax credit equal to the additional cost
coming out of their pockets, their overall costs don’t go up, and
everyone benefits,” Orcutt explained.
The two measures were
filed today and are expected to be routed to the House Finance Committee
for consideration, Orcutt said.
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For more information, contact:
Brendon Wold, Public
Information Officer: (360) 786-7698
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