‘Bipartisan Healthcare Effort’

The editorial from the Yakima Herald editorial board (printed Oct. 5, 2017) reports on compromise and adjusting insurance markets within the ACA at the congressional level. At the state level in Washington, there are already on-going efforts to pass Legislation that will provide affordable, universal coverage to all Washington residents. House Bill 1026 and Senate Bill 5701, if passed into law, would establish the Washington Health Security Trust department tasked to develop a plan that would save the state, the citizens, the employers, and the medical providers money. Medicare and Medicaid coverage would continue for those eligible groups. The WHST would assure all other residents high-quality, full coverage.

Employers and individuals/families would pay their premiums to a single payer, the WHST. The WHST would then pay the medical provider, the pharmacy and medical equipment, and all in-patient and out-patient services from the public fund. It's known as "single payer" and also "Improved Medicare for All."

A majority of Washington state nurses and physicians approve such a plan. They are sick of the status quo resulting in months of waiting to be paid by private insurers. The people, insured by for-profit insurance corporations, are sick of waiting weeks for the insurer to approve their specialty referrals. Citizens must keep pressure on their legislators to hold hearings in the health care committees during the 2018 Legislative session.

Health Care for All-WA board member

This story was originally published October 18, 2017 at 2:52 PM with the headline "‘Bipartisan Healthcare Effort’."