Health Care
WPC's Center for Health Care develops patient-centered 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.
What's New
Purchasing Health Insurance across State Lines
Background
Officials in Washington state currently ban citizens from buying health insurance in other states, forcing consumers to choose among a handful of in-state insurers. They also require individual health insurance plans sold in Washington to contain 58 different benefit and provider mandates. Each mandate adds a small incremental cost to the plan, as little as 0.5%, but added together state mandates drive up the cost of health coverage significantly. A total of 58 mandates can increase the price of health insurance by 20 to 25%.
Insurance Commissioner Proposal Would Weaken Insurance Carriers by Lowering their Financial Reserves
Introduction
By law, health insurance carriers must retain a certain amount of money, or capital, above and beyond the company’s fixed liabilities. These reserves are an indicator of a company’s ability to pay claims and reflect the carrier’s financial stability.
Background
Creating the Safety Net Assessment to Fund Services for People with Development Disabilities
Washington state is currently facing a budget shortfall of billions of dollars. In spite of holding a special session this past fall, lawmakers failed to solve the budget deficit. Many social services are facing either significant funding cuts or no appreciable increase in state-paid reimbursement levels.
Looming Doctor Shortage Is One More Example Why Central Planning Doesn't Work In Health Care
The U.S. in general, and Washington state in particular, are facing a severe doctor shortage in the next 10 to 15 years. Not only is the population growing, but the baby boomer generation is aging and will require more medical services in the near future.
Also, the new federal health care law will give health insurance to 30 million previously uninsured people over the next few years. These millions of newly insured patients will further strain our stretched provider network.
The Looming Doctor Shortage
Introduction
It’s the year 2020. A retired couple moves to Washington state and cannot find a doctor who has time to see new Medicare patients. A poor family enrolls in Medicaid health insurance, but cannot find a primary care physician who can fit new patients into her busy schedule. A worker in rural Washington state has excellent private health insurance, but must drive hundreds of miles to receive medical care.
Are these scenarios possible or even probable?
