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

Analysis of King County’s Proposed Mandatory Drug Take-back Program

May 16, 2013 in Publications

Introduction 

Officials in King County are considering imposing a mandatory drug take-back program on drug manufacturers, but research shows this approach will do little to protect the environment. There are real concerns that hormones found in water will have environmental impacts. Studies show that, like caffeine, the hormones in the water are not coming from people improperly disposing of medicine, but properly taking birth control pills.

The Mandatory Drug Take-back Program Will Not Solve Environmental Problems

Medicaid Expansion Is Wrong for Washington State

April 30, 2013 in Publications

Expanding Medicaid is a key element of the federal Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as Obamacare. Originally, the law required states to extend the public health program to cover individuals and families who make up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. If a state refused, the feds would cancel all of its Medicaid funding.

The Powerful are seeking to exempt themselves from Obamacare

April 25, 2013 in Blog

Obamacare is coming. Under the law going into effect January 1st thousands of Washingtonians will be forced to get government-approved health coverage through the mandatory state exchange.

2013 Eastern Washington Health Care Lunch

April 22, 2013 in Events
Date: 
Wednesday, June 26th, 2013
Time: 
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Place: 
The Davenport Hotel, Grand Pennington Ballroom
10 S. Post Street
Spokane, Washington

Join Washington Policy Center in Spokane on June 26th for its annual Eastern Washington Health Care Lunch, featuring Avik Roy, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, writer for Forbes and former health care policy adviser to Mitt Romney; Dr. Karen Summar, health care adviser to the U.S.

2013 Health Care and Small Business dual-conference event

April 19, 2013 in Events
Date: 
Thursday, June 27th, 2013
Time: 
7:30 am - 4:00 pm
Place: 
SeaTac Hilton
17620 Pacific Highway South
SeaTac, Washington

Don't miss WPC's
11th Annual Health Care Conference
and biennial Small Business Conference

Health law at 3: Remains unpopular

April 19, 2013 in In the News
Seattle/LocalHealthGuide
Source: 
Seattle/LocalHealthGuide
Date: 
Friday, April 19, 2013

Obamacare Turns Three, Remains Unpopular

April 17, 2013 in Publications

President Obama signed the federal health care bill, The Affordable Care Act (ACA), into law three years ago. Let’s look at what has happened over the past three years.

The law remains extremely unpopular with Americans. Since passage, polls have consistently shown at least 50 percent of voters disapprove of the law. A recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll revealed that only 41 percent of respondents actually understood the law while 57 percent did not.

Update on Health Insurance Mandates

April 10, 2013 in Blog

Benefit and provider mandates in health insurance plans drive up the cost of health insurance. Each state, through either statute or regulatory action, controls the number and type of mandates required in plans sold in that state. Not all mandates are created equal, however. Some add less than one percent to the overall cost of the plan, whereas others such as mental health parity can add 10 percent to the cost. On average, each mandate adds 0.5 to 2.5 percent to the overall price of the insurance plan.