Insurance reform tops joint hearing on health-care initiatives

OLYMPIA – Today, more than 600,000 Washington residents have no health insurance. Three-quarters of them work or have a working family member. Most work for small employers.

In response, the health committees in the House of Representatives and the Senate are conducting two joint hearings this week to launch health-care reform in Washington.

The House Health Care and Wellness Committee and the Senate Health & Long-Term Care Committee will kick off the series on Wednesday, Jan. 31, at 8 a.m. in Hearing Room A of the John L. O’Brien Building for a work session on House Bill 1569.

On Thursday, Feb. 1, at 10 a.m., the committees will meet together in Hearing Room1 of the John A. Cherberg Building.

“It’s time to start the heavy lifting,” said Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Kent, chair of the Senate health committee. Her measure to get affordable health-care coverage to employees of small businesses will be considered during Thursday’s joint hearing.

“It’s a travesty that those who work hard to support themselves and their families should have all too often to choose between paying the rent and paying the doctor,” Keiser said. “These people are your neighbors and mine, and they are struggling to keep their heads above water.”

Keiser’s measure, Senate Bill 5658, would help pay 90 percent of medical claims between $5,000 and $90,000 in a single calendar year. The program would be seeded with an initial appropriation of $5 million. Additional funding would be provided by a tax on cigarettes.

“My goal is to reduce premiums by at least 20 percent on small employers,” Keiser said. “If we can reduce health insurance premiums for small businesses, we will make coverage more affordable and keep Washingtonians healthier.”

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