BILL REQ. #:  H-0354.4 

Read first time 02/12/2003.   Referred to Committee on Health Care.

     WHEREAS, Access to health care services is an unavoidable need of all human beings; and
     WHEREAS, The primary method used to pay for care is health insurance whether financed by private or public funds; and
     WHEREAS, The cost of health care insurance is rising at three times the rate of inflation; and
     WHEREAS, Health insurance costs have a significant impact on the solvency of state and local governments; and
     WHEREAS, Fourteen percent of citizens nationally and about five hundred thousand citizens in the state are without health care insurance; and
     WHEREAS, Employers, whether large or small, public or private, are finding it increasingly difficult to find and provide health care benefits to employees; and
     WHEREAS, Employees and their families are being forced to bear an increasing portion of this rising health care insurance burden; and
     WHEREAS, Health care providers are being forced to abandon the healing professions due to deficient compensation and the growing complexity of health care regulation; and
     WHEREAS, Health insurance carriers struggle to remain competitive in an increasingly complex market;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, By the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring, That a Health Care Access Options Working Group be created to be composed of sixteen members appointed as follows:
     The following members are to be appointed by the Governor:
     A representative of a major state corporation, selected in consultation with the Association of Washington Business;
     A representative of small businesses, to be selected in consultation with the Governor's Committee on Small Business;
     One representative of health care insurance consumers, who shall represent the interests of people without health insurance;
     One representative of organized labor, to be selected in consultation with the Washington State Labor Council;
     Three members selected to represent health care providers, including a hospital representative, selected in consultation with appropriate health care provider organizations;
     One representative of health insurance carriers; and
     The Insurance Commissioner, who shall serve as the cochair of the working group.
     Four members shall be selected to represent the Legislature, to be chosen by each of the four caucuses.
     One of the consumer representatives shall serve as the cochair of the working group, to be elected by the members of the working group.
     The Secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services, the Secretary of the Department of Health, and the Administrator of the Washington State Health Care Authority shall serve as ex officio members of the working group; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Health Care Access Options Working Group hereby created be responsible for examining the privately and publicly funded health care insurance system in the State of Washington and for the development of recommendations for its improvement. The working group shall determine what should be the appropriate levels and delivery of services in Washington. The underserved areas of Washington and the total aspect of the delivery of health care in Washington, including telemedicine shall also be reviewed. The working group shall seek testimony and information from a broad range of health care stakeholders, and actively solicit public improvement in a community meeting process to build a consensus on the values to be used as a guide to improving the privately and publicly funded health care system. The working group shall review the recommendations of previous health care system analyses. The working group is authorized to establish subcommittees and technical advisory committees as needed to carry out its responsibilities. The working group shall seek grant funds for the community meeting process, and is encouraged to coordinate its efforts with ongoing efforts such as those of the Washington health foundation. The working group shall prepare a report including its findings and recommendations and transmit this report to the Legislature and the Governor no later than January 1, 2005.