Major Healthcare Changes In Washington

Major Health Insurance Changes In Washington State 

• Health insurance exchanges would make health insurance coverage affordable for the 811,000 uninsured Washingtonians and the 359,000 with nongroup health coverage.
  
  
• Premium tax credits would be available to 457,000 Washingtonians.
  
  
• Free preventative services would be provided to 897,000 senior citizens.
  
  
• The Medicare Part D "doughnut hole" would be remedied, so that 159,000 senior citizens would be paying only half the cost of the brand name medications.
  
  
• The small business tax credit would allow 92,500 small businesses to benefit from lower premiums. 78% of Washington's businesses are actually small businesses. In 2008, only 48% of them offered health coverage. A small business tax credit being proposed would help to ensure that premiums are affordable. Employer responsibility provisions would also be eliminated.

Early Benefits Enjoyed By The 6.5 Million Washingtonians in 2010 and 2011

• Consumers will no longer have lifetime limits on their health insurance coverage. Annual limit use will be altered and insurance companies will not be allowed to drop coverage arbitrarily.
  
  
• There will be options available to those ineligible for health insurance. Presently there are 9% of Washingtonians with Diabetes and 25% with high blood pressure who struggle to get health insurance. Insurers often deny coverage for these two groups. A high-risk pool established by the reform bill will give such people health insurance options.
  
  
• Free preventative services will be available. Of the preventative tests that have been neglected, 34% of Washingtonians have not undergone a colorectal screening for cancer and 19% of women aged 50 and above have neglected to get a mammogram for the past two years. Prevention and public health will be encouraged through funds invested for these purposes.
  
  
• Health coverage for those who retire early will be supported. Even though 104,000 early retirees have special coverage through their employers, such coverage is becoming rarer. The new system would offer reinsurance to help stabilize the coverage and help lower premiums for existing employees and the early retirees. It could make as much as $1200 difference in premiums for families.