Health reform hopes are high

Legislature: Senator expects feds to step up

BRAD SHANNON; The Olympian | • Published May 28, 2009

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The election of a new president last fall raised hopes for national health care reform, and those hopes are growing despite a “bloody awful” state legislative session and budget cuts triggered by the economic downturn, state Sen. Karen Keiser told The Olympian’s editorial board Wednesday.

The Kent Democrat recently returned from Washington, D.C., and said she thinks President Barack Obama’s call to reform health care could bring results by the end of the year.

The prospect for national action takes some of the edge off the lack of health care progress during the recent state legislative session.

“It was an awful session, the worst session of my life. I think it was the worst session for a lot of people. It was just bloody awful,” Keiser, the chairwoman of the Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee, said of the approximately $1 billion state lawmakers agreed to cut from various health services starting July 1 as they worked to close a projected $9 billion state budget gap.

About 45,000 low-income working people will lose coverage under the Basic Health Plan’s subsidized health insurance. Some cuts, such as one that eliminates colon cancer screenings for people who lack insurance, likely will kill patients, Keiser said.

She said there was not enough support in the Legislature to raise revenues through new taxes, forcing lawmakers to consider “ethical dilemma after ethical dilemma.”

“So we had to make terrible cuts, and that was just awful. I knew I was in trouble when I had to decide whether or not to cut hospice and had to decide, well, they are going to die anyway,” Keiser added with unusual bluntness.

Keiser also said the adult-health system was cut by 70 percent and might “collapse.” The prospect of budget cuts already is leading to layoff announcements at the ElderHealth Northwest’s day-health programs in Snohomish and King counties, according to news reports.

Adult day health centers provide therapies and health services to disabled and elderly adults who live in their homes or adult-family homes. The care often lets patients remain at home and out of costly nursing homes.

Keiser said her optimism about federal health care action is based on conversations last week with U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.; staffers for Sens. Ted Kennedy and Henry Waxman; Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Bainbridge Island; and others working on reforms.

Although details of reform are not yet clear, Keiser said changes could be based on a “connector” insurance brokerage concept pioneered in Massachusetts. Washington has passed legislation for a similar connector concept, but lawmakers delayed its implementation until January 2011 – and even that depends on money becoming available to subsidize premiums for low-income employees of small businesses.

In the meantime, Keiser said, state lawmakers enacted several bills that she thinks will help promote a better health outcome in Washington. Among them:

SB 5346, also known as the Health Efficiencies Act, which requires health insurance carriers and health care providers to standardize the way services are authorized and reimbursed. Keiser said it could cut health administrative costs by more than 30 percent, and her goal is 50 percent.

SB 5501, which creates a framework for broadening the use of electronic health records, using federal economic stimulus dollars to help with costs.

SB 5725, which increases the minimum insurance coverage for transplants to $350,000. Keiser said the measure also requires that an insurance policy’s major medical provision pay costs for ongoing chronic care related to a transplant.

Brad Shannon: 360-753-1688

bshannon@theolympian.com

www.theolympian.com/politicsblog