Facing a projected $4.5 billion budget shortfall, Washington State officials are debating the possibility of opting-out of Medicaid entirely to preserve flexibility in state health care spending. The alternative to opting-out of Medicaid is the potential elimination of state only health care programs such as the Basic Health Plan, prescription drug coverage, and the disability lifeline.
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
Accountable Care Organizations: More Central Planning from ObamaCare
November 11, 2010 in Publications
Buried within the 2,700 pages of the new federal health care law is one of the important mechanisms government officials will use to centrally plan and control our health care system – the accountable care organization (ACO).
Are "Death Panels" Part of Health Care Reform?
November 8, 2010 in Publications
One of the most controversial issues during the debate over federal health care reform was the concept of government committees or agencies deciding who would receive health care and who wouldn’t. Those who opposed the President’s health care plan called these agencies “death panels” and worried the panels would allow people to die rather than provide costly treatments at government expense. The President’s supporters called this “fear mongering” and assured Americans the legislation would not establish government agencies to make life and death decisions for us.
