Washington State's Basic Health Plan will no longer cut 40,000 people, but will instead increase monthly rates by about $25 and increase the annual deductible from $150 to $250.
The original idea was to cut 40,000 people from the program to save the state $250 million dollars. Washington has had to cut programs to make up for the nearly $9 billion budget deficit.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
Washington Universal Vaccine Purchasing
After the passage of Washington State’s 2009-2011 biennial budget, the Childhood Vaccine Program was shifted from a universal program to one where children with private insurance will no longer be offered free vaccines.
On June 3rd, Representative Eileen Cody, who is the Chair of the House committee on Health Care & Wellness, said, "The bad thing we did was cut universal funding of [children’s] immunizations."
As of July 1st, 2009, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine will no longer be available to children. Even adolescent girls who are in the middle of the series will only be able to finish the series if their provider pays for it.
Further, no vaccines will be purchased by the state and given to children with private insurance.
As of May 1, 2010, all children with private insurance will be ineligible for state-funded vaccines.
Traditionally, insurance companies do not cover children’s vaccinations because the State has provided them, free of charge, to local physicians. Thus, vaccines are not included in standard healthcare coverage plans. The State purchases vaccinations for a reduced, bulk cost of just a few cents per vaccination. By eliminating the Universal Vaccine Program, Washington State physicians will be faced with the decision of providing vaccinations without compensation or to cease supplying vaccinations all together.
Vaccine-preventable diseases have reached record lows over the past several years. This is because of the great strides we, as a State, have taken to ensure that each child is guaranteed immunizations. Without those vaccines, long-term costs associated with vaccine-preventable diseases will skyrocket.
The more children who are not vaccinated, the more likely we are to see outbreaks of preventable diseases in our neighborhoods. Eliminating vaccination funding is more than an individual concern; it is a serious community health risk. Without these vaccinations, children will be left vulnerable to diseases like Whooping Cough, Polio, Meningitis, Diphtheria, and Chicken Pox.
From a near-term financial perspective, physicians are already being burdened with reduced reimbursement rates for state funded or subsidized health plans, making it more difficult to maintain independent practices and care for their most at-risk patients.
On June 3rd, Representative Eileen Cody, who is the Chair of the House committee on Health Care & Wellness, said, "The bad thing we did was cut universal funding of [children’s] immunizations."
As of July 1st, 2009, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine will no longer be available to children. Even adolescent girls who are in the middle of the series will only be able to finish the series if their provider pays for it.
Further, no vaccines will be purchased by the state and given to children with private insurance.
As of May 1, 2010, all children with private insurance will be ineligible for state-funded vaccines.
Traditionally, insurance companies do not cover children’s vaccinations because the State has provided them, free of charge, to local physicians. Thus, vaccines are not included in standard healthcare coverage plans. The State purchases vaccinations for a reduced, bulk cost of just a few cents per vaccination. By eliminating the Universal Vaccine Program, Washington State physicians will be faced with the decision of providing vaccinations without compensation or to cease supplying vaccinations all together.
Vaccine-preventable diseases have reached record lows over the past several years. This is because of the great strides we, as a State, have taken to ensure that each child is guaranteed immunizations. Without those vaccines, long-term costs associated with vaccine-preventable diseases will skyrocket.
The more children who are not vaccinated, the more likely we are to see outbreaks of preventable diseases in our neighborhoods. Eliminating vaccination funding is more than an individual concern; it is a serious community health risk. Without these vaccinations, children will be left vulnerable to diseases like Whooping Cough, Polio, Meningitis, Diphtheria, and Chicken Pox.
From a near-term financial perspective, physicians are already being burdened with reduced reimbursement rates for state funded or subsidized health plans, making it more difficult to maintain independent practices and care for their most at-risk patients.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Senator Murray in Seattle Friday Talking Healthcare
TOMORROW: Murray to Push for Health Reform at Small Business in Seattle
Senator to be joined by small business owners, employees, experts to discuss the need for health care reform
(Washington, D.C.) – On Friday, June 5th 2009, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) will join small business owners and health care experts at Molly Moon’s Ice Cream, a small business in Seattle, to discuss the critical need for health care reform this year.
Senator Murray will talk about why passing comprehensive health care reform is critical to our economic recovery and success of small businesses. She will also hear from small business owners about the struggles they encounter as health care costs skyrocket.
As a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension (HELP) committee, Murray is helping to write the upcoming health care reform legislation.
WHO: Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)
Seattle area small business owners and employees
Health care experts
WHAT: Health care press event
WHEN: Friday, June 5th 2009
1:45 PM PT
WHERE: Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream Store
917 E Pine St., Seattle
Map
###
--
Eli Zupnick
Deputy Press Secretary
U.S. Senator Patty Murray
202-224-2834
eli_zupnick@murray.senate.gov
http://murray.senate.gov/
Senator to be joined by small business owners, employees, experts to discuss the need for health care reform
(Washington, D.C.) – On Friday, June 5th 2009, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) will join small business owners and health care experts at Molly Moon’s Ice Cream, a small business in Seattle, to discuss the critical need for health care reform this year.
Senator Murray will talk about why passing comprehensive health care reform is critical to our economic recovery and success of small businesses. She will also hear from small business owners about the struggles they encounter as health care costs skyrocket.
As a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension (HELP) committee, Murray is helping to write the upcoming health care reform legislation.
WHO: Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)
Seattle area small business owners and employees
Health care experts
WHAT: Health care press event
WHEN: Friday, June 5th 2009
1:45 PM PT
WHERE: Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream Store
917 E Pine St., Seattle
Map
###
--
Eli Zupnick
Deputy Press Secretary
U.S. Senator Patty Murray
202-224-2834
eli_zupnick@murray.senate.gov
http://murray.senate.gov/
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Obama Open Letter on Healthcare Reform
Download and read the letter here.
In the letter to Senators Ted Kennedy and Max Baucus, President Barack Obama describes the need for a health insurance exchange that will allow people to compare prices and benefits, the need for a core benefit package that will include preventative and catastrophic coverage, and one that will not prevent coverage based on preexisting conditions.
Download and read the letter here.
In the letter to Senators Ted Kennedy and Max Baucus, President Barack Obama describes the need for a health insurance exchange that will allow people to compare prices and benefits, the need for a core benefit package that will include preventative and catastrophic coverage, and one that will not prevent coverage based on preexisting conditions.
Download and read the letter here.
Legislators Talk Healthcare Reform in Washington State
This morning the Washington Policy Center sponsored their 7th annual Health Care Conference. A morning panel of Representatives Eileen Cody (D) and Doug Ericksen (R), along with Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) and Department of Retirement Systems Director Steve Hill and moderator Allen Schauffler, discussed healthcare policy and administration in Washington State.
During the panel, HCA Director Hill said of the Basic Health Plan, "This is an outstanding program and we should stop tearing it apart with political extremism."
Hill also said, "The elephant in the room is Medicare," of healthcare politics in Washington.
Representative Ericksen told the crowd in Seatac that Washington needs to repeal Certificate of Need requirements to free business, instead of preventing it, as the case is now. In reply, Hill said, "Without CON (Certificate of Need), healthcare would be a pig trough."
Representative Cody, who is the Chair of the House committee on Health Care and Wellness, told the crowd, "The bad thing we did was cut universal funding of [children’s] immunizations."
Traditionally, insurance companies do not cover children’s vaccinations because the State has provided them, free of charge, to local physicians. Thus, vaccines are not included in standard healthcare coverage plans. The State purchases vaccinations for a reduced, bulk cost of just a few cents per vaccination. By eliminating the Universal Vaccine Program, Washington State physicians will be faced with the decision of providing vaccinations without compensation or to cease supplying vaccinations all together.
Vaccine-preventable diseases have reached record lows over the past several years. This is because of the great strides we, as a State, have taken to ensure that each child is guaranteed immunizations. Without those vaccines, long-term costs associated with vaccine-preventable diseases will skyrocket.
The more children who are not vaccinated, the more likely we are to see outbreaks of preventable diseases in our neighborhoods. Eliminating vaccination funding is more than an individual concern; it is a serious community health risk. Without these vaccinations, children will be left vulnerable to diseases like Whooping Cough, Polio, Meningitis, Diphtheria, and Chicken Pox.
From a near-term financial perspective, physicians are already being burdened with reduced reimbursement rates for state funded or subsidized health plans, making it more difficult to maintain independent practices and care for their most at-risk patients.
Representative Ericksen called not creating a separate, core benefit plan for people aged 18-34, who tend to be healthier and not require many features of other benefit plans, the great failure of the legislative session.
Video of the event will be available on TVW.org soon along with video of Dr. Steven Eastaugh, an Obama Admisitration healthcare policy consultant. A link will be posted when these videos are available.
During the panel, HCA Director Hill said of the Basic Health Plan, "This is an outstanding program and we should stop tearing it apart with political extremism."
Hill also said, "The elephant in the room is Medicare," of healthcare politics in Washington.
Representative Ericksen told the crowd in Seatac that Washington needs to repeal Certificate of Need requirements to free business, instead of preventing it, as the case is now. In reply, Hill said, "Without CON (Certificate of Need), healthcare would be a pig trough."
Representative Cody, who is the Chair of the House committee on Health Care and Wellness, told the crowd, "The bad thing we did was cut universal funding of [children’s] immunizations."
Traditionally, insurance companies do not cover children’s vaccinations because the State has provided them, free of charge, to local physicians. Thus, vaccines are not included in standard healthcare coverage plans. The State purchases vaccinations for a reduced, bulk cost of just a few cents per vaccination. By eliminating the Universal Vaccine Program, Washington State physicians will be faced with the decision of providing vaccinations without compensation or to cease supplying vaccinations all together.
Vaccine-preventable diseases have reached record lows over the past several years. This is because of the great strides we, as a State, have taken to ensure that each child is guaranteed immunizations. Without those vaccines, long-term costs associated with vaccine-preventable diseases will skyrocket.
The more children who are not vaccinated, the more likely we are to see outbreaks of preventable diseases in our neighborhoods. Eliminating vaccination funding is more than an individual concern; it is a serious community health risk. Without these vaccinations, children will be left vulnerable to diseases like Whooping Cough, Polio, Meningitis, Diphtheria, and Chicken Pox.
From a near-term financial perspective, physicians are already being burdened with reduced reimbursement rates for state funded or subsidized health plans, making it more difficult to maintain independent practices and care for their most at-risk patients.
Representative Ericksen called not creating a separate, core benefit plan for people aged 18-34, who tend to be healthier and not require many features of other benefit plans, the great failure of the legislative session.
Video of the event will be available on TVW.org soon along with video of Dr. Steven Eastaugh, an Obama Admisitration healthcare policy consultant. A link will be posted when these videos are available.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
President Obama's Economic Case for Healthcare Reform
Download and read the full report here.
Here is the text from the release today:
"President Obama has articulated an ambitious agenda for health care reform – containing cost while maintaining quality and choice, and providing affordable care for all Americans. Today, the White House Council of Economic Advisers released a comprehensive report detailing the potential economic gains from achieving significant reform, while also addressing the risks to the economy of maintaining the status quo.
The key finding of the study is that the benefits of reform would be substantial. For example, health care reform that truly “bends the curve” in costs could boost Gross Domestic Product by nearly 8% in 2030. For a typical American family of four, health care reform could result in an additional $10,000 in income by 2030 than they otherwise would have enjoyed.
Health care expenditures currently account for 18% of our nation’s GDP and if we remain on our current path, health care spending is expected to reach 34% -- over a third -- of GDP by 2040. Rising health care costs are contributing to the deficit and undermining the ability of our small businesses to compete in the global economy. For working Americans who rely on employer-sponsored health insurance, rising costs mean that an ever greater proportion of their compensation comes in the form of health benefits rather than take-home pay. And rising premiums mean more money out of their pockets, too. In Washington, for example, the average annual premium for employer-sponsored family coverage rose from $5,812 in 1996 to $11,986 in 2006.
Attached, please find the full report from the White House Council of Economic Advisers outlining the economic case for health care reform."
White House Communications
Download and read the full report here.
Here is the text from the release today:
"President Obama has articulated an ambitious agenda for health care reform – containing cost while maintaining quality and choice, and providing affordable care for all Americans. Today, the White House Council of Economic Advisers released a comprehensive report detailing the potential economic gains from achieving significant reform, while also addressing the risks to the economy of maintaining the status quo.
The key finding of the study is that the benefits of reform would be substantial. For example, health care reform that truly “bends the curve” in costs could boost Gross Domestic Product by nearly 8% in 2030. For a typical American family of four, health care reform could result in an additional $10,000 in income by 2030 than they otherwise would have enjoyed.
Health care expenditures currently account for 18% of our nation’s GDP and if we remain on our current path, health care spending is expected to reach 34% -- over a third -- of GDP by 2040. Rising health care costs are contributing to the deficit and undermining the ability of our small businesses to compete in the global economy. For working Americans who rely on employer-sponsored health insurance, rising costs mean that an ever greater proportion of their compensation comes in the form of health benefits rather than take-home pay. And rising premiums mean more money out of their pockets, too. In Washington, for example, the average annual premium for employer-sponsored family coverage rose from $5,812 in 1996 to $11,986 in 2006.
Attached, please find the full report from the White House Council of Economic Advisers outlining the economic case for health care reform."
White House Communications
Download and read the full report here.
Washington Health Partnership plan
The Washington State Legislature passed the Washington Health Partnership plan (WHPP) on April 21st. On May 18th, the WHPP was partially vetoed, but signed into law, by Governor Chris Gregoire.
The WHPP establishes a working group tasked with reaching goals set forth by the Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Care Costs and Access. Click here to read the final report published in January of 2007.
This includes extending coverage to individuals below 200 percent of the federal poverty level in an Apple Health program for adults.
The Apple Health program for kids has at its core a goal of ensuring health coverage for all children by 2010. It streamlines applications for childrens health coverage so parents are aware of their child’s eligibility, including the 75,000 children in Washington that are currently without coverage.
The bill digest describes the goals of the bill as follows:
"Creates the Washington health partnership plan to attain
the following goals:
(1) By 2012, every resident of this state
shall have access to affordable, comprehensive health care
services;
(2) Services shall be provided through the private health
care sector;
(3) The health reform plan shall maintain and improve
choice of health care providers and high quality health care
services in this state; and
(4) The health reform plan shall include cost-containment
strategies that retain and assure affordable coverage for all
Washingtonians.
Requires the department of social and health services to
submit a request to the federal department of health and human
services to expand and revise the medical assistance program
as codified in Title XIX of the federal social security act."
All of the substantive portions of the bill were passed. Only a section requiring quarterly meetings of an advisory board was vetoed by Governor Gregoire.
Read the WHPP here.
The WHPP establishes a working group tasked with reaching goals set forth by the Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Care Costs and Access. Click here to read the final report published in January of 2007.
This includes extending coverage to individuals below 200 percent of the federal poverty level in an Apple Health program for adults.
The Apple Health program for kids has at its core a goal of ensuring health coverage for all children by 2010. It streamlines applications for childrens health coverage so parents are aware of their child’s eligibility, including the 75,000 children in Washington that are currently without coverage.
The bill digest describes the goals of the bill as follows:
"Creates the Washington health partnership plan to attain
the following goals:
(1) By 2012, every resident of this state
shall have access to affordable, comprehensive health care
services;
(2) Services shall be provided through the private health
care sector;
(3) The health reform plan shall maintain and improve
choice of health care providers and high quality health care
services in this state; and
(4) The health reform plan shall include cost-containment
strategies that retain and assure affordable coverage for all
Washingtonians.
Requires the department of social and health services to
submit a request to the federal department of health and human
services to expand and revise the medical assistance program
as codified in Title XIX of the federal social security act."
All of the substantive portions of the bill were passed. Only a section requiring quarterly meetings of an advisory board was vetoed by Governor Gregoire.
Read the WHPP here.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Snohomish County Health Indicators
According to a new report on health indicators in Snohomish County, adult obesity has increased from 22% to 28% in the last 3-4 years. Obesity is a large and growing medical problem in Washington State. It is considered a risk factor for virtually every major health and disease indicator in the report, including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and asthma.
•Obesity due to sedentary behavior and excessive calorie intake is now the second leading cause of preventable death, resulting in 649 deaths each year in Pierce County.
•In the United States, there are around 24 million youth that are overweight or at risk of being overweight.
See the report at http://tinyurl.com/SnohoHealth
On July 18th, Northwest Physicians Network Foundation is sponsoring a childhood obesity awareness event at Jefferson Park in Tacoma from 1-4pm. See more on the event at npnwa.net/foundation.
•Obesity due to sedentary behavior and excessive calorie intake is now the second leading cause of preventable death, resulting in 649 deaths each year in Pierce County.
•In the United States, there are around 24 million youth that are overweight or at risk of being overweight.
See the report at http://tinyurl.com/SnohoHealth
On July 18th, Northwest Physicians Network Foundation is sponsoring a childhood obesity awareness event at Jefferson Park in Tacoma from 1-4pm. See more on the event at npnwa.net/foundation.
Hospital Certificate of Need review - What is it?
Washington State is one of 37 states in the US that requires hospitals to go through a review process, called a Certificate Of Need (CON) review, to expand most medical services they provide, including the number of beds they can have available.
The point of the CON is to help keep healthcare costs down by preventing an excess of health services opening that will consume provider dollars, do not add value to healthcare services, and create costs that could be passed on to patients already struggling with hospital bills.
Others believe it simply hampers the process of getting higher quality healthcare to patients without providing any significant reduction in costs.
Providence Everett Medical Center often has all 243 beds on the Colby campus filled. They applied for 166 additional beds and were granted an expansion of 106 beds by the Washington Department of Health. Read coverage by the Everett Herald: http://tinyurl.com/ProvCert
This is how the Department of Health describes the CON review:
"The CON program is a regulatory process that requires certain health care providers to obtain state approval before offering certain new or expanded services.
For example, a CON would be required if a hospital wishes to establish a comprehensive medical rehabilitation program or to initiate certain specialized services.
The CON process is intended to help ensure that new services proposed by health care providers are needed for quality patient care within a particular region or community"
Here is a great flowchart of the complicated process for a CON from the Washington Policy Center:
http://www.washingtonpolicy.org/images/healthcare/conprocess.pdf
The point of the CON is to help keep healthcare costs down by preventing an excess of health services opening that will consume provider dollars, do not add value to healthcare services, and create costs that could be passed on to patients already struggling with hospital bills.
Others believe it simply hampers the process of getting higher quality healthcare to patients without providing any significant reduction in costs.
Providence Everett Medical Center often has all 243 beds on the Colby campus filled. They applied for 166 additional beds and were granted an expansion of 106 beds by the Washington Department of Health. Read coverage by the Everett Herald: http://tinyurl.com/ProvCert
This is how the Department of Health describes the CON review:
"The CON program is a regulatory process that requires certain health care providers to obtain state approval before offering certain new or expanded services.
For example, a CON would be required if a hospital wishes to establish a comprehensive medical rehabilitation program or to initiate certain specialized services.
The CON process is intended to help ensure that new services proposed by health care providers are needed for quality patient care within a particular region or community"
Here is a great flowchart of the complicated process for a CON from the Washington Policy Center:
http://www.washingtonpolicy.org/images/healthcare/conprocess.pdf
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