August 25th Universal Health Care Work Group Meeting

Washington is on the way to achieving truly universal health care, and you can help make it happen! Tune in to the Aug. 25th Public Meeting via Zoom and listen to the Work Group members discuss:

• Three draft models of universal health care.
• Member cost sharing and provider reimbursement.
• The criteria they’ll use to assess the three draft models.

The Universal Health Care Work Group will continue to discuss three general healthcare models that will be analyzed and dynamically modeled by the actuaries so that variations can be considered by Work Group members:

1) Universal Health Care system with coverage managed by the state, but health care provided by private and by public providers, clinics, and hospitals as it is now. It is “Everybody In, Nobody Out” coverage. This is the model that Health Care is a Human Right-WA supports.

2) UHC system designed by the state but outsourced to private insurance companies to manage, much as Medicaid is run now. It keeps the insurance middle man in the equation.

3) The current system that strives incrementally to fill in the gaps and increases affordability for the underinsured, the uninsured, and the undocumented. It leaves us to continually scramble for ways to patch the system,  offer equitable coverage, make it affordable.

Please register to attend the meeting by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, August 21st.

Details, including how you can submit public comments, the Meeting Agenda, and background materials are available here.

Public comments are very important, and the Work Group wants to hear from you, especially if you live in a rural area of Washington or have experienced health care access issues due to high insurance premiums or out-of-pocket costs. The Work Group will take comments on a first-come, first-served basis, and will hear as many as time allows. If you can’t view the meeting in real time, a recording will be posted on the Universal Health Care Work Group page with a link to provide public comment through an online survey.

Just want to watch the meeting?
If you want to observe the meeting only, watch it live on TVW on Aug. 25th.

To learn more about the Work Group and its responsibilities: review the charter.

Note: If you see advertisements on our website, please know that HCHR-WA does not pay for, or endorse them.

We Need Health Care Stories to Win Health Care for Everyone in WA State

The Washington State Universal Health Care Work Group needs to know how Washingtonians are struggling to get the health care they need. We need stories from people who: 

• have lost their health insurance after losing their jobs
• cannot afford health insurance
• have health insurance but can’t afford to use it or who have delayed treatment, 
• are struggling to pay for long-term COVID complication
• own businesses and need relief in covering their employees

If you — or someone you know who lives in Washington might be willing to share their story, go to https://bit.ly/HCHRShareMyStory and we will follow up with the details and support if needed.

PUBLIC COMMENTS AT THE ZOOM MEETING
The Work Group meets Tuesday, August 25th. It starts at 1 pm and Public Comments are scheduled to begin at 3:40 pm. We welcome all Washingtonians to give public comments.

Please register for the Zoom meeting by Friday, August 21st at 5 pm at https://bit.ly/WorkGroupRegistration. To provide public comments at the meeting, choose the public comment checkbox on the registration form.

For meeting agenda and materials go to: https://bit.ly/UHCWorkGroupPage

WRITTEN COMMENTS AFTER THE MEETING
They usually accept written comments for 5-7 business days after the meeting. The link to the recorded meeting and the link to submit written comments will be posted here shortly after the August 25th meeting.

We may have an update about the types of comments needed after we see the Meeting Agenda and materials later this week.

Note: If you see advertisements on our website, please know that HCHR-WA does not pay for, or endorse them.

Join Us Tuesday for Three Crises – COVID-19, Racism & the Recession

Missed it? Watch the recording of the meeting here.

Please join us for an illuminating discussion and learning opportunity about how stopping police brutality is vital in our work to build healthy communities.

HCHR WA August General Meeting
Tuesday, August 11, 6:30-7:30 pm Pacific

• Register in advance for this Zoom Meeting. After you register, you will receive the link to the Zoom meeting and you can add it to your calendar.
  
• The Waiting Room for the meeting opens on Tuesday, August 11th at 6:15 pm.

There is growing recognition that racism is a public health crisis. A key step in this development happened on June 6, when 7,000 health care workers marched from Harborview Hospital to Seattle City Hall in support of people of color, to declare racism a public health emergency, and to demand an end to police brutality against people of color (picture below). Following this, King and Pierce counties joined governments across the country in recognizing racism as a public health crisis and taking steps towards racial equity. Similar resolutions have been introduced in the US Congress and adopted by the American Public Health Association, the American Medical Association, and the American Psychiatric Association.

Note: If you see advertisements on our website, please know that HCHR-WA does not pay for, or endorse them.