Washington Legislature considers Gov. Gregoire's universal health coverage plan

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire (D) on Monday testified before state Senate and House health committees, urging lawmakers to support two bills (SB 5930 and HB 2098) that aim to offer universal health coverage to all state residents within five years, the AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports.

Almost 600,000 residents in the state are uninsured, Gregoire said (Byrd, AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 2/13). Gregoire and some Democratic lawmakers earlier this month announced the universal health care plan, called the Healthy Washington Initiative. It would ensure by 2010 that all Washington children have health coverage through private or public health plans. Unmarried adults ages 19 to 25 would be eligible to remain on their parents' health insurance and their employers would be able to contribute to the cost of coverage, according to the plan. In addition, the state would facilitate a way for public and private markets to use their collective purchasing power to negotiate lower-cost premiums, and the state would expand its subsidized health insurance program for low-income working adults. Under the plan, health insurance would be portable, nonemergency care would be diverted to local clinics and more focus would be placed on technology. In addition, the state insurance commissioner would examine ways to reduce administrative costs (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 2/8). Gregoire said the plan, which would cost about $25 million in new spending over the next two years, addresses 16 recommendations made by the Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Care Costs and Access. The Association of Washington Business has raised concerns about a part of the proposal that creates a purchasing pool for private and public businesses. The committees did not take any action on the legislation (AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 2/13).

Employer-Sponsored Coverage Declines, Study Says

In related news, a new survey from the state's Employment Security Department says that the number of Washington employers offering health coverage to their workers has continued to decline, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. Last summer, roughly 17,000 Washington businesses with at two least employees were sent questionnaires about their employer benefits, and about 8,500 companies responded. Of those, 66.4% offered health benefits to full-time workers in 2006, down from 67.1% in 2005, and 67.8% in 2004. The percentage of companies offering part-time workers health benefits declined from 15.1% in 2004 and 2005 to 14.2% in 2006. The reason for the decline is unclear, but the report notes that employers were seeking to reduce premium costs and wages. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus one percentage point (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 2/13). The report is available online. Note: You must have Adobe Acrobat to view the report.