| VETO MESSAGE ON SSB 5436 |
| May 19, 2009 |
| To the Honorable President and Members, |
| The Senate of the State of Washington |
| Ladies and Gentlemen: |
| I have approved, except for Sections 4 and 5, Substitute Senate Bill 5436 entitled: |
"AN ACT Relating to payment arrangements involving direct practices." |
| Section 4 would subject direct patient-provider primary care practices to the assessments used to fund the Washington State Health Insurance Pool. I am concerned that this requirement would increase the cost of such practices at the very time businesses and individuals are badly in need of more affordable health care options. |
| Section 5 would require a direct practice to submit its advertising and marketing materials to the Insurance Commissioner for approval at least thirty days prior to use. The bill fails to indicate, however, the criteria against which these materials would be reviewed. This section also duplicates protections existing in current law, imposing needless administrative expenses on both these practices and the Commissioner's Office. |
| For these reasons, I have vetoed Sections 4 and 5 of Substitute Senate Bill 5436. |
| With the exception of Sections 4 and 5, Substitute Senate Bill 5436 is approved. |
| Respectfully submitted, |
| Christine O. Gregoire |
| Governor |