Health care reform in Washington, D.C. will matter here in Washington state

Health care reform in Washington, D.C. will matter here in Washington state. Today, the state House and Senate health care committees met jointly to discuss national health care reform efforts and hear from business leaders, health care providers, citizens and others to understand the potential impacts of proposed reforms.

These reforms will matter to taxpayers, because health care costs are eating a bigger and bigger piece of the state budget.

It’ll matter to workers and business owners, since rising health costs are hitting the bottom line and taking more out of our paychecks.

And it will matter to doctors, nurses and health care workers, all struggling with a system that seems to get more complicated every year.

In 2007, Governor Gregoire's Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Care Costs and Access reported that:

• There are roughly 593,000 Washingtonians without health care coverage, including 73,000 children. Young adults and employees of small businesses represent a sizeable portion of our uninsured. (Note: Since the 2007 report, Washington state has committed to covering all kids with our Apple Health program.)
  
• The annual increase in insurance premiums for small businesses in Washington is greater than the increase in wages or gross business income, some years by a factor of five.
• The state spends an estimated $4.5 billion on health care, up from $2.7 billion in 2000. This $2 billion increase means that the share of the state budget going to health care has increased from 22 percent in 2000 to 28 percent today.
  

Washington isn't the only state struggling with the health care issue and it's why so many people are eager to see Congress take swift action. With nearly every state struggling to balance their budget in the wake of the recession, the health care issue continues to be a costly exercise in patience and hope.

If more people get coverage, that will reduce costs, because people without health insurance tend to show up in the only place that will take them: the emergency room, which is the most expensive possible option. Those costs get passed to taxpayers and hospitals.

A number of reform bills are moving through Congress, and nobody knows what the final law will look like. The goals are to cover more people, simplify the system and reduce costs. You can track the progress of reform efforts here and send your thoughts to your federal representatives.