States Moving Toward Comprehensive Health Care Reform
Washington
Status of reform effort: Washington
has proceeded with coverage expansions for children; however, the economic
crisis has forced the state to stop implementation of other health
reform-related coverage expansions and to cut enrollment in Basic Health, the
state’s coverage program for low-income adults by 40,000.
In February 2007, Governor Chris Gregoire (D) proposed legislation, the “Healthy Washington Initiative,” which adopted recommendations from the Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Care Costs and Access to improve quality, address costs, and increase access to health care.
The plan seeks to provide access to health care coverage for all Washingtonians by 2012 using the following measures:
Create a statewide connector through which health insurance products can be bought and sold;
Direct the Health Care Authority to provide grants to community health centers that work with local hospitals to reduce unnecessary emergency room visits;
Create the Washington Quality Forum to address disparities in care;
Expand chronic care management;
Direct state health agencies to change contracts and reimbursement for pay-for-performance;
Promote prevention.
On March 13, 2007, Governor Gregoire signed legislation, SB 5093, to provide health insurance for all children by 2010. The legislation expands CHIP coverage to children with family incomes up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level by January 2009, permits families with higher incomes to buy-in to public coverage at full cost, and covers all immigrant children. The CHIP
eligibility expansion to 300 percent of the federal poverty level was implemented on February 23, 2009.
On May 2, 2007, Governor Gregoire signed SB 5930, the “Healthy Washington Initiative” which codifies the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission. The Health Care Authority is responsible for implementing a connector, The Health Insurance Partnership, which is scheduled to make health insurance products available for purchase in September 2008. In April 2008, Governor Gregoire signed several pieces of legislation aimed at advancing health reform. HB 2537 authorized the implementation of the Health Insurance Partnership, which was designed to offer private health plans to small employers and subsidize the premiums for employees with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Coverage through the partnership was supposed to be available
in March
2009 but a budget shortfall has led to the termination of the program’s
implementation.Budget reductions are
also forcing Washington
to reduce enrollment in Basic Health, the state’s coverage program for
low-income adults, by 40,000 individuals by January 1, 2010.As of May 4, 2009, Washington is not processing new
applications and is determining what criteria will be used for reducing
enrollment.
Despite the Health Insurance Partnership
termination and program reductions, in April 2009 the legislature passed three
health reform-related bills.One of the
bills establishes the Washington
Health Partnership working group to focus on health reform goals and to re-examine
health reform proposals called for in previous legislation.
