H-4526.1          _______________________________________________

                             HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 4037

                  _______________________________________________

State of Washington              52nd Legislature             1992 Regular Session

By Representatives Mitchell, Wood, Schmidt, Moyer, Horn, P. Johnson, Broback, Casada, Beck, Vance, Ballard, Winsley, Brumsickle, Paris, McLean, Miller, Ferguson, Bowman, Tate, Silver, May, Betrozoff, Carlson, Brough, Chandler, Forner and Hochstatter

Read first time 02/05/92.  Referred to Committee on Health Care.Concerning health care for medicaid recipients.

     TO THE HONORABLE BOOTH GARDNER, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON, AND TO THE SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES:

     We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

     WHEREAS, Medicaid payments for medical services are frequently less than providers charge to other patients; and

     WHEREAS, Providers must balance patient services so income covers expenses; and

     WHEREAS, The requirement to be selective based on the amount of payment may result in turning away some patients or setting limits on numbers of medicaid patients; and

     WHEREAS, Persons receiving medicaid coupons for medical services may have difficulty obtaining service as a result; and

     WHEREAS, Medicaid recipients often feel discouraged from obtaining early medical care; and

     WHEREAS, Delaying treatment frequently results in a visit to the emergency room for even more expensive services; and

     WHEREAS, Recipient patients may see medicaid coupons as carrying a stigma; and

     WHEREAS, This creates the danger of de facto rationing as the outcome of knowing that services will not be fully paid for; and

     WHEREAS, There is no distinction between patients having health care coverage with insurers, contractors, or health maintenance organizations; and

     WHEREAS, All patients who can show proof of health care coverage are perceived to receive the same quality of care; and

     NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the Secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services investigate the possibilities of contracting for medicaid service with a managed health care system, as defined under the health care access act, and of combining medicaid services with the basic health plan and report its findings to the chairman and members of the Health Care Committee of the House of Representatives by December 1, 1992.

     BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Booth Gardner, Governor of the State of Washington, and to the Secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services.