Emily Makings

From the auditor: "Regulatory Reform: Improving Permit Timeliness"

The state auditor’s office (SAO) has been working on a series of performance audits of state regulations. The first piece, an inventory of regulations, was finished in 2011, and the second piece, “Communicating Regulatory Information and Streamlining Business Rules,” was finished in 2012. (For more on these, see our 2012 policy brief, “A Complex Maze […]

The day after tomorrow for public pensions

In the Dec. 23 & 30th issue of the New Yorker, James Surowiecki writes about “deadbeat governments” and public pensions (may be behind the paywall): Pensions are supposed to be dull and reliable. But they’re now the locus of bruising political battles. . . . How did states and cities get into this jam? By […]

Washington Healthplanfinder report shows qualified health plan enrollment still well short of projections

December 23 was the deadline for people to sign up for health insurance through the Washington exchange for coverage beginning January 1. The exchange released a new enrollment report on Tuesday, saying that 50,000 people enrolled just between Dec. 20 and 23 — of which 20,000 were in qualified (private) health plans. Since October 1, […]

Charter schools will move forward, but what about levy money?

Education funding is in the news yet again: Yesterday, a Superior Court judge ruled in the case a number of groups had brought against charter schools. Approved by voters in 2012, Initiative 1240 allowed a limited number of public charter schools to be opened in Washington. (None have opened yet.) It defined them as common […]

New details on who is enrolling in insurance through the WA exchange

As I noted last week, health insurance enrollments through the Washington Healthplanfinder have been driven by Medicaid. Today the exchange has a more informative report on enrollment activity through November. Some details on the 179,330 who have enrolled: 159,186 (88.8 percent) are in Medicaid. 20,144 are in qualified (private) health plans; of those, 79.1 percent […]

Medicaid is still driving exchange enrollments, but private plans are also up this week

This week’s Healthplanfinder enrollment update shows significant increases in enrollment in qualified (private) health plans, newly eligible Medicaid, and immediate coverage Medicaid. Total enrollment through the exchange is now up to 176,468 (through November 28). Of those, 18,131 are in qualified health plans (10.3 percent). (According to the Seattle Times, “Officials project that about 130,000 residents […]

WA average workers' comp rates to increase 2.7 percent

The Department of Labor and Industries has announced that it will increase average workers’ compensation rates by 2.7 percent for 2014 (after two years of no increases). Per the news release, Noting that the 2011 reforms are projected to save approximately $150 million in the fiscal year that ends next July, [Director Joel] Sacks said […]

SeaTac and local minimum wage laws

The Wall Street Journal writes about the “patchwork of local wage laws”: A wave of successful state and local initiatives to raise the minimum wage is creating the potential for a greater patchwork of pay standards around the country than ever before, fueling the debate over whether Congress should raise the federal level. Of course, […]

New brief: High Stakes for Washington in Competition for 777X

In a new policy brief, we write about the tax preference and spending package the Legislature passed earlier this month as part of the effort to secure manufacture of Boeing’s 777X for Washington. Read it here.

Medicaid accounts for 88.1 percent of WA Healthplanfinder enrollments

The Washington Health Benefit Exchange has been sending out the numbers of people enrolled in health care coverage through the exchange (Washington Healthplanfinder) each week. The most recent release shows that 98,399 enrollments have been completed since the Oct. 1 launch of the exchange. Of those, only 11,742 (11.9 percent) are in qualified health plans […]