SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 6270

BYSenators West and Johnson

Establishing a state health care access task force.

Senate Committee on Health & Long-Term Care

Senate Hearing Date(s):February 1, 1990

Senate Staff:Don Sloma (786-7414)

AS OF FEBRUARY 14, 1990

BACKGROUND:

Health care services in Washington, as in the rest of the United States, are largely delivered by private physicians, hospitals, clinics and allied health care providers.  Services are financed through private insurance, and a variety of state and federal programs.  In general, government programs provide financing for poor and disabled populations while private insurance arrangements provide financing for those who are employed or who have the means to pay directly for health care.

State and national studies indicate that access to health care services is not universal in Washington or within the United States.  A number of explanations have been advanced for this including the cost of care, reductions in the provision of health care insurance by employers, controlled growth of federal health care spending, the geographic distribution of health care providers, a lack of health care insurance for the unemployed or underemployed, the effect of provider fear of professional liability exposure, cultural differences, and a lack of consumer willingness to seek needed care.

State and federal proposals abound to address the access problem.  The Washington Legislature has enacted several programs in recent years to address the issue including the Basic Health Plan, various expansions of the Medicaid program, and the High Risk Insurance Pool. 

However, some reports indicate that access to health care is decreasing in Washington, that costs continue to escalate well in excess of the Consumer Price Index, and that the health of infants, children, the poor, the elderly and the disabled are threatened.

SUMMARY:

The Legislature finds that access to health care is vitally important to Washington's citizens, but that many may not have access to the care they need.  Several factors may contribute to this problem including the cost of care, the availability of services in remote areas, consumer knowledge of available health care resources and a lack of insurance coverage.  In addition, no clear policy exists defining the basic health care services which should be universally available.

A health care access task force is created representative of various groups interested in health care access, to be appointed by the Governor.  Staff assistance must be coordinated by State Board of Health staff.  Additional assistance must be provided by other health related agencies of state government. 

The task force must complete an analysis of the access problem, review the effectiveness of recent innovations to solve the problem in Washington, in other states and in other nations, and suggest a plan to ensure the availability of basic health care services.  The analysis and plan must include a working definition of basic health care services, a specification of public and private entities responsible for implementation, a timeline for phased implementation, estimates of cost and other necessary elements.

The task force's reports are timed to correspond with existing health policy development functions of state government including those of the State Board of Health and the state budget cycle.  Preliminary reports are required in March of 1992 with a final report on June 30, 1992. 

The termination of the Basic Health Plan, now set for June 1992, is extended to June 1993.

Appropriation:    none

Revenue:    none

Fiscal Note:      available