BILL REQ. #:  H-4693.1 

Read first time 02/04/2004.   Referred to Committee on Appropriations.

     AN ACT Relating to health insurance coverage for children; and creating new sections.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) The legislature finds that:
     (a) The health of the children of Washington state is critical to their success in school and throughout their lives. Children with health insurance coverage have better health outcomes than those who lack coverage. Children without health insurance coverage are more likely to be in poor health and more likely to delay receiving, or go without, needed health care services; and
     (b) Access to preventive and well-child health services for children are a cost-effective investment of both public and private dollars that improve the health of children and of our communities at large.
     (2) It is therefore the intent of the legislature to provide access to health insurance coverage for all children in the state of Washington by 2008, by building upon and strengthening the successes of employer-sponsored health insurance coverage and publicly supported children's health insurance programs.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   (1) The administrator of the health care authority shall conduct a study and prepare recommendations to the legislature to achieve the goal of providing access to health insurance coverage for all children in the state of Washington by 2008. The report and recommendations must be submitted to the governor and appropriate committees of the legislature by December 1, 2004.
     (2) In conducting the study and preparing recommendations, the administrator of the health care authority shall establish and actively consult with an advisory committee that includes representatives of at least the following individuals or entities: Consumers, including people with disabilities and communities of color; health care providers and facilities; health insurance carriers; academic or health care research institutions; the department of social and health services; the department of health; and the state board of health.
     (3) The administrator, in consultation with the advisory committee, shall, in its report to the governor and the legislature:
     (a) Examine and address the following:
     (i) Current rates of health care coverage among children in the state of Washington;
     (ii) The role of medicaid, the state children's health insurance program, and other publicly funded programs in providing health care coverage to children in the state of Washington, including the extent to which administrative requirements related to applications for coverage and to continuing eligibility verification affect the participation in the programs of children who are eligible for these programs;
     (iii) The role of employer-sponsored health insurance in providing health care coverage to children in the state of Washington; and
     (iv) The experiences of other states that have attempted to provide health care coverage for children, including the approaches they have taken to providing coverage, the extent to which they have integrated the provision of proven preventive health services into coverage, and the results of their efforts; and
     (b) Provide a recommended system to achieve the goal of providing access to health insurance coverage for all children in the state of Washington by 2008, including recommendations related to delivery of health services, integrating the provision of proven preventive health services, and financing.