Doctors criticize latest ER coverage rule

posted 04:08 PM 02/07
Permanent Link.

Courts threw out Washington’s first effort to cut its Medicaid costs in emergency rooms by limiting how many times someone could be treated at public expense for non-emergency problems. The state Health Care Authority came back with a replacement proposal that now getting the bum’s rush from the medical establishment, as our news partner Jordan Schrader reports here.

The Washington State Medical Association and allies are again opposing the cost saving measure. But they haven’t said if they’ll sue again.

If the new HCA plan sticks, it saves $21 million in state money per year, and about twice that including federal funds. But that is short of the $72 million ($33 million in state funds) that the Legislature envisioned last year.

And it is yet another example of courts finding fault with efforts by agencies or the Legislature to trim costs – as noted here today and here.

A story is in the works for print editions of the newspapers for Wednesday.

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House vote to enshrine gay marriage is at 1 p.m. tomorrow

posted 03:40 PM 02/07

The bill to make Washington the seventh state to legally recognize same-sex marriages goes to a vote in the state House of Representatives starting at 1 p.m. Wednesday. Senate Bill 6239 already passed the Senate last week on a 28-to-21 vote. Gov. Chris Gregoire requested the measure and is expected to sign it soon.

UPDATE: SEIU 775 sues again over limits on homecare hours

posted 03:11 PM 02/07

Service Employees International Union 775 Healthcare has sued the state over what it contends is a reduction in homecare services hours available to certain clients with shared or live-in caregivers. The suit says the changes also mean that some care workers, who provide help with cleaning, cooking and shopping, no longer work enough to qualify for state subsidized health-care benefits.

Inslee offers jobs plan; GOP bashes it

posted 06:18 PM 02/06

Gubernatorial candidate Jay Inslee laid out a detailed jobs plan today with campaign events in Spokane and Seattle today. Inslee’s plan promotes so-called green energy jobs and his plan has tax breaks for start-up businesses, but it caught flak from state Republicans critical of past efforts to promote clean energy jobs.

Senate transpo fee plan shrinks to $52M

posted 05:46 PM 02/06

Gov. Chris Gregoire’s transportation task force called for $21 billion in spending over 10 years. Gregoire decided not to go for a gas-tax increase this year, but still called in her State of the State address for raising $3.6 billion mostly through fees — or is that taxes? — on oil.

Cranberry grower Lachney to run against Sen. Becker

posted 11:48 AM 02/06

Cranberry grower Bruce Lachney of Eatonville announced today he is running as a Democrat this fall against state Sen. Randi Becker in the 2nd Legislative District.

Federation endorses Jay Inslee for governor

posted 08:39 PM 02/04

The Washington Federation of State Employees has done what labor unions do in governor’s races: endorse the Democrat - in this case, Jay Inslee. The Olympia-based union announced the decision by its executive board earlier in the day, saying it was done in order to give WFSE a position before next Thursday’s Washington State Labor Council endorsement convention .