New Brief: Implementing Washington's Health Benefit Exchange
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (federal health care reform) is a hot topic these days, as the Supreme Court is expected to release its decision on the constitutionality of the law soon. One part of the federal legislation is a requirement that states establish health benefit exchanges through which individuals and small businesses […]
May 04 , 2012 - Emily Makings
New Brief: Changes to Public School Employee Health Insurance Coverage
During the second special session, the legislature enacted a bill that makes some changes to the purchasing system for K-12 employee health benefits. The current system had been the subject of a February 2011 report by the state auditor, which suggested that the system be streamlined, standardized, and even consolidated. The new bill doesn’t go […]
March 16 , 2012 - Emily Makings
Senate Reforms: Consolidated School Employee Benefits
Another of the reforms in the Senate’s proposed 2012 supplemental is SSB 6442, which would establish a consolidated purchasing system for public school employee health benefits. (It was passed by the Senate Ways and Means Committee Feb. 23.)
March 13 , 2012 - Emily Makings
Medicaid Fraud Legislation
On March 8, before the regular session ended, the legislature passed ESSB 5978, which creates a Medicaid fraud false claims act. Its enactment was assumed by the 2012 supplemental budget that passed the Senate, as well as the second House-passed supplemental. It is estimated to reduce 2011–13 revenues by $4.9 million.
October 28 , 2011 - Richard S. Davis
Governor wants state workers to pay more for health care benefits…they decline
State workers enjoy significantly richer health care benefits than do most private sector employees, as documented in this Thrive Washington paper. Currently, Washington pays 88 percent of the premium costs for state employees for individual or family coverage. In 2003-05, state employees paid, on average, 16.3 percent of the cost of their coverage (up from 6 percent in FY2001). […]
July 18 , 2011 - Richard S. Davis
Governors expect tough times to linger
News from the National Governors Association summer meeting in Salt Lake City was decidedly grim. State governments, beneficiaries of stimulus dollars that sustained spending during the worst days of the recession, continue to face ongoing fiscal challenges. As the governors watch the debt and deficit debates in D.C., most acknowledge the end of federal assistance. […]
March 07 , 2011 - Emily Makings
K-12 Employee Health Care Savings
Washington State Wire has a good article by Erik Smith today on K-12 employee health care. As he notes, the state auditor recently released a report on the subject (the executive summary is here). State employees get their health insurance through the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB); school districts may participate in the PEBB plans, […]
March 01 , 2011 - Richard S. Davis
As we were saying about compensation comparisons …
… they’re not easy to get right. USA Today headlines today that Wisconsin is one of 41 states where public workers earn more than their private sector counterparts. According to the paper’s analysis of data from the U. S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, State, city and school district workers earned an average of $50,774 in […]
February 28 , 2011 - Emily Makings
Medicaid: A Budgetary Problem for Many States
An article in the Wall Street Journal today, “Governors Scramble To Rein in Medicaid,” talks about the concerns both Republican and Democratic governors (including our own) have regarding rising Medicaid costs–especially given widespread budget problems: About eight million Americans joined the Medicaid rolls between 2007 and 2010, many because they lost jobs. The federal government […]
February 02 , 2011 - Emily Makings
Health Care Hot Spots
Last week's New Yorker has an article about the idea that we can lower health care costs by focusing on the neediest patients. It profiles a Camden, N.J. doctor who took the medical billing records of the local hospitals and set about mapping the areas of the city whose residents had the highest hospital costs. […]