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- Competition is the key to low prices
- House okays bill to bring individual health insurance back to 32 counties
OLYMPIA (Saturday, 3-04-00)--The House of Representatives Friday approved legislation that would bring individual health care insurance back to areas of Washington where it is currently unavailable.
The House passed two separate health insurance reform bills today: Senate Bill 6199 and Senate Bill 6067.
Reps. Bruce Chandler and Barb Lisk said the bills would give Washington citizens more control over their health care and improve choices by bringing insurance carriers back into the state.
There is currently no private individual health insurance available for citizens in 32 of Washington's 39 counties.
"The market reforms in this legislation will help us begin restoring Washington's crumbling health insurance market," said Lisk, R-Zillah. "It's good news for the 600,000 Washington citizens who are self-employed or don't receive coverage through their employer and don't have access to individual health insurance.
"This was a bipartisan effort that required compromise by members from both sides of the aisle. But we know that this bill will bring carriers back into the market, and I hope this is a first step to restoring competition to the marketplace. Competition brings more choice and lower cost to consumers, and that's our main objective."
Senate Bill 6199 would establish new requirements to make insurance companies more responsive to patient needs. Senate Bill 6067 changes insurance regulations that allowed individuals to sign up for coverage only if they were sick and drop their coverage immediately after getting treatment.
"These were hard-fought battles, but the consumer will ultimately benefit," said Chandler, R-Granger. "It's important that medical decisions be made between doctors and patients, and that consumers have a means of addressing decisions they feel were made in error."
Senate Bill 6067 will now be sent to the governor for his signature. Senate Bill 6199 will be returned to the Senate for concurrence on minor amendments before it goes to the governor's desk.
"We were very conscious of not going home without substantial health insurance reform legislation," concluded Chandler. "We knew it would take some heavy lifting, but in the end, I think we can all agree it was worth it.
"We'll be keeping a close eye on the market to make sure we're having the intended effect of improving access and keeping health care costs down. I'm confident that these reforms move us in the right direction, but we have to be vigilant in our effort to create a viable health care system," he said.
Rep. Barbara Skinner, Yakima, weighed in on health events.
"My constituents in Yakima and Eastern Washington will finally be able to purchase individual health insurance," said Rep. Mary Skinner, excited over today's House passage of both an individual market health insurance bill and a patients' bill of rights.
It's a victory long in the making said Skinner, R-Yakima, whose seatmate, Sen. Alex Deccio, helped to negotiate the final individual insurance measure, Senate Bill 6067.
"I've received stacks of letters and e-mail from people in the Yakima Valley who can't get medical insurance and are frightened that if for some reason they would have to be hospitalized, it would financially devastate them," said Skinner.
"Heavy-handed government restrictions have driven the insurance carriers out of the marketplace. But the insurance companies have made a commitment to the Legislature and the state of Washington that with the passage of this bill, they will return."
Provisions under the individual market bill (Senate Bill 6067) include:
* Guaranteed access - No one would be denied insurance. A person would be able to obtain insurance in the private market or through the state's high-risk pool. When a person applies for insurance they will go through a health screen, if they pass the screen an insurance company must offer them insurance. If they don't pass the screen they will be eligible to obtain insurance in the high-risk pool.
* Pre-existing conditions - The limitation for the individual market and the small-group market would be nine months with a six-month look back. Prenatal care is not subject to any waiting period.
*Portability - People would be able to move between plans. If a person has a catastrophic policy, they would be able to move to another catastrophic policy without having to be screened or having the pre-existing conditions apply. Consumers would also be exempt from the screening process if they are moving outside of the current plan's service area, if the person's doctor moves to another plan and the person follows, or the person is moving to a plan with equal or greater benefits.
* Guaranteed renewability - Once a person is enrolled in a healthplan, insurance companies would be required to allow renewal of coverage in that plan. If a plan is discontinued by the carrier, an enrollee would be allowed to purchase any other plan offered by the company to individuals.
"This measure will restore competition, choice and affordability to the marketplace," added Skinner.
The House approved Senate Bill 6067, 86-12. Following its passage, the House also approved Senate Bill 6199, also known as the patients' bill of rights.
"This is the other important piece in terms of giving patients more control over their health care decisions," said Skinner. "People will now have recourse if their health insurance claims are unjustly denied."
Skinner said the bill would work to give patients improved access toinformation regarding their health plans, provide sufficient and timely access to appropriate health care services and choice among health care providers, assure that health care decisions are made by appropriate medical personnel, give access to a quick and impartial process for appealing plan decisions, and protect the privacy of patients' medical records.
Senate Bill 6067 will now be sent to the governor for his signature. Senate Bill 6199 will be returned to the Senate for concurrence on minor amendments before it goes to the governor's desk.