Center for Health Care
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Launched in 2006, The Center for Health Care develops solutions to reduce costs and improve the availability and quality of health care for businesses and individuals, providing the only detailed, independent critique of health care issues available in the Northwest. We believe that it is critical for legislators, media, and citizens to be informed of health care issues impacting consumers. The Center hosts an Annual Health Care Conference at the beginning of the Summer as well as publishing studies and commentaries, and is a continuing resource for Washington citizens. |
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Events
Healthcare Publications | Healthcare Blog
WPC Releases New Health Care Reform Video Series
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State Abuse of the Medicaid Program
How state officials manipulate Medicaid and increase costs to taxpayers
The Medicaid program to provide health coverage for low-income people began in 1965 with the passage of title XIX of the Social Security Act. It has always been an entitlement, with no defined limit on the number of beneficiaries or the cost of the program. As long as a person meets the legal criteria for participation in the program, that person receives Medicaid benefits, regardless of total cost to taxpayers.
From the beginning, a link was established between Medicaid eligibility and the welfare program, Aid to Families with Dependant Children (AFDC). Medicaid is now the largest health insurance system in the United States and is the largest means-tested health care program in the world.
Read the full Policy Brief here >>
Read the shorter Policy Note Here>>
The Impact of National Health Care Reform on Washington State
January 2010
U.S. House and Senate Democrats have passed two sweeping 2,000 page bills that would fundamentally and dramatically change our health care. There are significant differences between the two bills, but the more moderate Senate bill has the best chance of passing through the conference committee and being signed by the President. Both bills passed on a strict party-line vote, with essentially no support from minority Republicans.
Americans watch nervously as Congress debates giant health care bill
November 2009
The U.S. House of Representative has passed a 1,910 page health care bill essentially along party lines. The Senate is now considering its own 2,074 page bill, again along party lines.
The President’s failure to gain bipartisan support for his health care overhaul is disappointing. The country wants and deserves a bipartisan effort on reform, since health care represents one sixth of our economy. Responding to public concern, the Republicans have offered well over fifty amendments and over thirty health care bills, yet none has receive even a simple congressional hearing. The Democrats seem driven to pass health care legislation regardless of the concerns of the American public.
Roger Stark, WPC Health Care Policy Analyst, debates health care reform at Boise State University
The American Founding Initiative hosted a debate on health care on October 26 at Boise State University. Dr. Roger Stark from the Washington Policy Center and Dr. Louis Schlickman from Idaho Health Care presented their ideas on health care reform and universal health care.
Roger Stark, WPC Health Care Policy Analyst, is featured on KING TV’s Up Front on July 12th discussing the latest on federal health care reform and what is happening in Congress
Watch the video here (Dr. Stark begins at 9:08)
Washington Policy Center Launches 2009 Federal Health Care Reform Project
As Congress and the President debate plans for reforming health care, it is essential they and the public consider how more government involvement will impact accessibility, affordability, and quality. Health care reform must be focused on patients, allowing more access to more treatments and more doctors with less interference from insurance companies, politicians, and special interests. A balanced, common sense approach that provides assistance to those who truly need it and keeps health care patient-centered rather than government-centered for everyone.
The project is spearheaded by Dr. Roger Stark, WPC’s Health Care Policy Analyst. Dr. Stark is a retired surgeon and has been involved extensively in the health care community. In 2007 Dr. Stark authored the book Health Care in the U.S.: Problems and Solutions, and his opinion-editorials have appeared in The Seattle Times and the Washington DC Examiner. He has done in-depth research on Medicaid, health care reform measures across the country, and patient-driven health care.
Inside Olympia host Austin Jenkins talked to Kathleen O’Connor, Founder of CodeBlueNow! and Dr. Roger Stark, Health Care Analyst for the Washington Policy Center about what we might expect from Congress this summer as far as national health policy.
Watch 30 minute debate with :
Dr. Roger Stark appears on KING 5's Up Front health care reform panel
The Obama administration hopes to pass a healthcare reform bill by the end of this year. Almost everyone agrees "something" has to be done about its cost. Healthcare takes an increasing proportion of our national wealth, our tax dollars and our personal budgets. Dr. Roger Stark offers analysis and some solutions during this panel discussion on KING TV’s popular news show Up Front.
Watch the video on KING 5's website here
7th Annual Health Care Conference
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
at SeaTac DoubleTree
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Steven Eastaugh of George Washington University and a Health Care Advisor to President Obama
Dr. Steven Eastaugh, from the Department of Health Services Management and Leadership at George Washington University and a Health Care Advisor to President Obama, discussed Federal Health Care Policy Reform and Health Care Economics. He is a graduate of Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard JFK School of Government, Harvard Economics Department, and has a Doctor of Science in Public Health from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.
Dr. Eastaugh delivered the lunch keynote and discussed the pending federal health care reform plan. Watch his address and the audience Q&A below:
The conference included three panels covering:
State legislative review:
The conference opened with a legislative review panel featuring Reps. Eileen Cody (D-West Seattle) and Doug Ericksen (R-Ferndale), as well as Steve Hill of the state Health Care Authority. KING 5's Allen Schauffler moderated the panel. Watch it below!
The conference included three panels covering:
State legislative review:
Health care leaders from both parties and the Governor’s office briefed attendees on newly-enacted health care bills, discussed their own reform ideas and looked ahead to the 2010 Session.
New trends in health care:
Experts presented the latest information on health care and new ways to deliver health care services.
• Introductions
• Medical Home
• Alternate Primary Care (Qliance)
• Evidence Based Medicine
• Wellness Programs
• Questions and Answers Part 1
• Questions and Answers Part 2
• Questions and Answers Part 3
Examined the emographics of the 45 million uninsured in this country and who they actually represent. The second portion of this panel gave an update on Health Savings Accounts.
• Introductions
• The Uninsured
• The Insured
• Questions and Answers
• Suzanne Spencer, M.D., retired, Group Health Cooperative - Medical Home
• Erika Bliss, M.D., FAAFP, Director of Medical Care, Qliance Medical Group – Direct
Primary Care Practice Model
• Rep. Doug Ericksen, Ranking Minority Member, House Health Care & Wellness
Committee
The Center for Health Care
Launched in 2006, The Center for Health Care develops solutions to reduce costs and improve the availability and quality of health care for businesses and individuals, providing the only detailed, independent critique of health care issues available in the Northwest. We believe that it is critical for legislators, media, and citizens to be informed of health care issues impacting consumers. The Center hosts an Annual Health Care Conference at the beginning of the Summer as well as publishing studies and commentaries, and is a continuing resource for Washington citizens.
Policy Analyst
Roger Stark, MD is the Center for Health Care Policy Analyst. Dr. Stark graduated from the University of Nebraska College of Medicine and moved to the Pacific Northwest where he completed his general surgery residency in Seattle and his cardiothoracic residency at the University of Utah.
After practicing in Tacoma he moved to Bellevue and was one of the co-founders of the open heart surgery program at Overlake Hospital. He retired from private practice in 2001 and became actively involved in the hospital’s Foundation, serving as Board Chair and Executive Director.
Dr. Stark has been a member of many local and national professional societies. He currently serves on the Board of the Washington Liability Reform Coalition, the Governing Board of Overlake Hospital, and is an active member of the Woodinville Rotary.
He and his wife live on the Eastside and have children and grandchildren in the area.
Contact Information
For questions or to receive e-mail updates from the Center for Health Care please e-mail Policy Analyst Roger Stark, MD, rstark@washingtonpolicy.org.
Events
Past Events
7th Annual Health Care Conference
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
at SeaTac DoubleTree
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Steven Eastaugh of George Washington University and a Health Care Advisor to President Obama
Dr. Steven Eastaugh, from the Department of Health Services Management and Leadership at George Washington University and a Health Care Advisor to President Obama, discussed Federal Health Care Policy Reform and Health Care Economics. He is a graduate of Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard JFK School of Government, Harvard Economics Department, and has a Doctor of Science in Public Health from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.
Dr. Eastaugh delivered the lunch keynote and discussed the pending federal health care reform plan. Watch his address and the audience Q&A below:
The conference included three panels covering:
State legislative review:
The conference opened with a legislative review panel featuring Reps. Eileen Cody (D-West Seattle) and Doug Ericksen (R-Ferndale), as well as Steve Hill of the state Health Care Authority. KING 5's Allen Schauffler moderated the panel. Watch it below!
The conference included three panels covering:
State legislative review:
Health care leaders from both parties and the Governor’s office briefed attendees on newly-enacted health care bills, discussed their own reform ideas and looked ahead to the 2010 Session.
New trends in health care:
Experts presented the latest information on health care and new ways to deliver health care services.
• Introductions
• Medical Home
• Alternate Primary Care (Qliance)
• Evidence Based Medicine
• Wellness Programs
• Questions and Answers Part 1
• Questions and Answers Part 2
• Questions and Answers Part 3
Examined the emographics of the 45 million uninsured in this country and who they actually represent. The second portion of this panel gave an update on Health Savings Accounts.
• Introductions
• The Uninsured
• The Insured
• Questions and Answers
6th Annual health care conference
Read the 2008 Health Care Conference Policy Note about this event>>
The Washington Policy Center held its Sixth Annual Health Care Conference at the Sea-Tac Double Tree Hotel on May 13th. The event was sold out at 320 attendees. Grace-Marie Turner from the Galen Institute was the keynote luncheon speaker and Peter Neupert from Microsoft keynoted the afternoon session on health information technology. The morning panels dealt with issues from the last legislative session and an update on how other states are dealing with health care. Also added was a new trends panel that covered medical tourism, Health 2.0, and value-based health benefits. Surveys and feedback from attendees has been overwhelmingly positive.
A lively discussion with Rep. Eileen Cody (D-West Seattle) (Video), Rep. Bill Hinkle (R-Cle Elum)(Video), and WA Health Care Authority Administrator Steve Hill (Video) opened the conference. They talked about the 2008 Legislative Session and looked ahead to their priorities in 2009. More video of the panel is available on TVW's website.
Question and Answer Part 1
Question and Answer Part 2
Question and Answer Part 3
After breakfast experts from Massachusetts (Dr. Jack Evjy, Massachusetts Medical Society - see PowerPoint here), Wisconsin (Christian Schneider, Fellow, Wisconsin Policy Research Institute), and California (John R. Graham, Director Health Care Studies, Pacific Research Institute) discussed the various health care reform efforts in those states. Currently Washington's lawmakers are looking at Massachusetts' "Connector" plan and the proposed "Healthy Wisconsin" reform as models for how to reform health care in our state.
Dr. Jack Evjy, Massachusetts Medical Society
Christian Schneider, Fellow, Wisconsin Policy Research Institute
John R. Graham, Director Health Care Studies, Pacific Research Institute
Panel Q & A
Session #3 looked at emerging trends such as medical tourism, "Health 2.0" and value-based health benefit design, an idea that many Fortune 500 companies are embracing to help contain rising health care costs. The session was moderated by Dr. Roger Stark, Washington Policy Center. The panel included C. Philip Slaton, The Icon Group, LLC on Medical Tourism, Matthew Holt, Matthew Holt Consulting (see PowerPoint here), and David Hom, Chairman, Center for Health Value Innovation on Value Based Health Benefit Design (see PowerPoint here)
Introductions
C. Philip Slaton, The Icon Group, LLC
Matthew Holt, Matthew Holt Consulting
David Hom, Chairman, Center for Health Value Innovation on Value Based Health Benefit Design
Panel Q & A
Grace-Marie Turner of the DC-based Galen Institute delivered the lunch keynote address, talking about the health care plans offered by Sens. Obama, Clinton, and McCain. Video of the lunch keynote is available on TVW's website. On the day of the conference, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer published Grace-Marie's op-ed "Candidates and health care reform."
Grace-Marie Turner video part 1
Grace-Marie Turner video part 2
Grace-Marie Turner video part 3
Grace-Marie Turner video part Q & A
Keynote Speaker Grace-Marie Turner talks with Kirby Wilbur
After lunch Peter Neupert, Vice President of the Health Solutions Group at Microsoft, talked about Microsoft's Health Vault project and the future of electronic medical records (see his PowerPoint here).
Peter Neupert video part 1
Peter Neupert video part 2
Peter Neupert video part 3
Conference attendees then heard from a panel of private and public-sector experts working with health information technology. , Regional Director, Department of Health and Human Services, Region
10, moderated the panel, with presentations given by John Hammarlund, Regional Administrator, Center for Medicine & Medical Services, Region 10, Jody Pettit, MD, Health Information Technology Coordinator, State of Oregon (see her PowerPoint here), Richard Onizuka, Director, Health Care Policy, Washington Health Care Authority, and Peg Hopkins, CEO, Community Health Association of Spokane.
Introductions
John Hammarlund, Regional Administrator, Center for Medicine & Medical Services, Region 10
Jody Pettit, MD, Health Information Technology Coordinator, State of Oregon
Richard Onizuka, Director, Health Care Policy, Washington Health Care Authority
Peg Hopkins, CEO, Community Health Association of Spokane
Panel Q & A
92% said overall the conference was a success.
97% said the overall cost of the conference was excellent.
Special thanks to all of our conference sponsors for making our 2008 Health Care Conference possible. We have received lots of positive feedback from policymakers and health care industry professionals who found the conference insightful and useful as our state debates the best way to reform health care.
