issue area reports | health care
Rep. Joe Schmick, R-Colfax, is the ranking Republican on the House Health Care & Wellness Committee.
2ESHB 2340 washington state health insurance pool( wship)
Failed / AWB Supported
The Washington State Health Insurance Pool( WSHIP) is the high risk insurance pool created in 1987 to provide coverage for those individuals who are unable to obtain comprehensive health care coverage or Medicare supplemental coverage. The participants covered under WSHIP have very complex medical needs and despite the intent of the ACA to extend access, their medical conditions are not covered under Medicare. Due to the complexity of these conditions and without regular medical surveillance, many of these participants will end up in emergency care and add to the growing cost of the overall health care system.
Funding for the WSHIP pool comes from a variety of sources including non-profit groups, but one of the leading funding sources is an assessment on individual health care plans. AWB pressed to have the funding mechanism reevaluated so businesses and individuals who pay for their own insurance do not bear the brunt of this additional assessment. This legislation, sponsored by Rep. Joe Schmick, R-Colfax, would have extended the pool for only one year in order to review and explore alternative funding solutions, along with an overall evaluation of the entire pool. Second Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2340 went through several revisions. The final version would have allowed new enrollees and eliminated critical reviews of the overall program, which AWB could not support. There are solutions to this issue, yet the legislation died in the Rules Committee with the current funding mechanism— billing individual health plans— still in place and the pool closing in December 2017.
ESHB 2450 critical access hospitals
Passed / AWB Supported
Critical Access Hospitals( CAH) are a vital part of the state’ s health care system, particularly in rural regions where a major hospital could be hours away. As such, there are 39 hospitals in Washington that are certified as CAHs. These are hospitals with 25 beds or less that are generally located in rural areas. They must deliver continuous emergency department services and they may not have an average length of stay of more
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