Spokane7
65°
September 23, 2010 in City
Democrats call for patience as critics decry health care law
As federal health care reform marks its sixth month, some of its key provisions begin to take effect as supporters and opponents of the legislation call attention to what the bill does and doesn’t do.
Starting today, new plans won’t be able to cap lifetime benefits or refuse to cover pre-existing conditions for children younger than 19. Young adults can be covered on their parents’ plans through age 26.
But it’s not like a switch was flipped at 12:01 a.m. The changes take effect for individual plans on Jan. 1, which is when they renew in Washington state; for group plans they start whenever members re-enroll after today.
“It’s extremely confusing,” said Stephanie Marquis, a spokeswoman for the Washington State Insurance Commission. To help explain the changes, and how they affect those different types of plans, the office has a developed chart on its website.
Some reports around the country say insurance companies will refuse to cover children to avoid having to cover pre-existing conditions. Not so in Washington state, where companies are already filing updates for next year.
“We haven’t heard of any plans here that aren’t going to sell to children,” Marquis said.
The new requirements will add about 4 percent to the cost of insurance, but other factors which have been driving up premiums for years also will continue. Total cost increases are expected to be in double digits, she said.
As President Barack Obama tried to build support for the reforms with a speech in Virginia, the White House released stories from around the country of people benefiting from the new law. Washington state’s story was a Spokane business owner, Janine Vaughn of Revival Lighting, who was able to use new tax credits for small businesses to help pay for her employees’ premiums.
The state’s Republicans, however, turned up the volume on their criticism. U.S. Senate candidate Dino Rossi on Wednesday criticized his opponent, Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, for voting for legislation that he says is “hurting, not helping Washingtonians by raising health care costs.”
U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., was scheduled to take part today in the unveiling of the House GOP’s “Pledge to America,” a list of election year promises reminiscent of the successful 1994 strategy called “Contract with America.” This year’s list will call for the repeal of health care reform, replacing it with laws that let people buy insurance from other states, reform medical liability laws and expand health savings accounts.
Democrats such as Gov. Chris Gregoire, a strong supporter of the law, called for patience. Gregoire said the changes that start today and other provisions of the law allow innovation and could lead to Washington state remaking parts of its health care system.
“I know it’s frustrating,” she said, but the health care system is too complicated to change quickly.
Supermajority for taxes unconstitutional, judge rules 
hawken on September 23 at 7:38 a.m.
All the governor wants is to get past the November elections! Neither she NOR anyone in Congress, NOR the President or anyone understands what’s in the Obama Care….. other than it’s going to cost much, much more that was sold to us. Even the speaker of the house said they had to pass the bill before they could learn what’s in it!! Nobody who voted for the bill even read the bill before it was passed! So I must conclude that the governor wants to buy more time to fend off the imminent, major loss of Democrat seats in November. I’m not a fan of the Republican Party and even less a fan of the Socialist Democrat Party…. I have voted EVERY year for more than 30 years now! I am a huge fan of the House GOP’s “Pledge to America,” As a nation WE ARE BROKE! My adult sons and my grandchildren will have to pay for our debt! They will not know the quality of life in this country that the average American has known the last 50 years. That is immoral and selfish beyond my ability to say in this short space. Obama and most Dems are Socialist, Progressives who reject a free market system and individual rights of the American citizen. They support a world economy that spreads the wealth at the expense of Americans… They support World wide unions…. “Workers of the world Unite” at the expense of our American Union Workers whom do not have the same socialist values of their union leadership. The governor’s “be patient” means give us more time to set the progressive, socialist policies in concrete making them even harder to repeal. Was it TIme Magazine or Newsweek that some six months ago declared that American is now a “Socialist Nation” on the magazine cover. I pray that the American people will return to their constitutional roots as established by our Founding Fathers…. and soon… for the sake of our Nation, our children our grandchildren and beyond. If ever a group of politicians need to be fired, it’s this current, progressive, socialist, bunch of Democrat and Republicans. In the history of the world such socialist, progressive policies have always failed in total destruction to the nation and the people! While I oppose everything that Obama and his socialist, progressive friends have done and want to do…. it is not those politicians that are at fault…. It’s us, the American people who are at fault! We elected him! Now’s the time for us to clean up the mess that we made.
greyhound2 on September 23 at 7:59 a.m.
The Health Care Reform does little to change the fact that the United States has the world’s most expensive health care system at 16% Gross Domestic Product (GDP), but ranks 37th in quality delivered; while France ranks number one in quality at half the cost of about 8% GDP, according to the UN WHO.
Some say that France is a socialist system. That may be true, but it seems to work a lot better than the capitalist for profit health care system run in the United States. You can keep trying to drive your old Model T Ford in the Daytona 500, but you are not going to win the race, no matter how many flags you want to wave.
Ninch on September 23 at 8:51 a.m.
Obamacare basically “remakes” the Washington State Health Care system because it nationalizes many programs that our state (and majority of states) already had in place, e.g. adult children being able to remain on parent’s insurance. Pre-existing conditions in this state and others were addressed by state-sponsored high-risk insurance. Until state budget cuts, low- and even middle-income could join subsidized Basic Health Care. There is also a state-wide insurance plan that anyone can join, although the insurance payments are not subsidized (and should not be). Almost all children in this state are able to get state (fed)-supported health care, aka SCHIPS.
The real problem in Washington State has been ACCESS to health care providers and not the lack of health insurance or the inability to pay.
johno on September 23 at 9:03 a.m.
Why can’t we just have a public option? Those of us who wish to have government, non-profit, health insurance can buy it from the governement. Those who like their currrent coverage can continue to line insurance company pockets. I’d prefer government run healthcare over insurance company run healthcare. The current law is a result of compromise. No one is ever completely satisfied with compromise. Unfortunately the insurance companies are still calling a lot of the shots under the new law and since they are against the new law will take every opportunity to blame every increase on the new law. But just take a look at how costs have been rising every year before the new law and you’ll see costs would rise any way without the new law.
hawken on September 23 at 4:36 p.m.
Monarch: Our socialist government will not allow the Public Option as you suggest…. they have had ample opportunity to do that…. like all socialist governments, our socialist government wants complete control. Why do you think the government made it against the law for anyone NOT to buy health care? Answer: Because they sold us a bill of goods with the Obama Care which they cannot pay for and for which the insurance companies can not afford if they are to continue providing private health care. Is it any wonder that some 70% of the American people want the Obama care plan repealed? Also, please keep in mind, when you compare the WA Health Care Plan to Obama care, that we live in one of the most socialist, liberal states in the county. Are there any socialist Democrats whom will concede that Socialism has known nothing but dismal failure in every case throughout history!!? If you think I’m just name-calling by labeling our government as “Socialist”,,,, then I suggest you see the front page of Time or Newsweek.” I’m not sure which magazine, but see for yourself. That magazine labels the USA as “Socialist.”
misjustice on September 23 at 6:49 p.m.
I’m more than sick of posters that don’t know the difference between socialism and fascism.
If this truly were a socialist nation then we’d have single payer health care. But we don’t; even with the reform bill [which is an insurance reform bill, not a health care reform bill].
We don’t have single payer, we have insurance companies and their K Street Whores standing between us and our doctors. That is fascism; where corporate interests are promoted by government.
And despite what Faux says, socialism isn’t a dismal failure. Ask Sweden, Germany, France, Norway, Finland, and other socialist democracies if their nations are dismal failures.
drywitt99 on September 26 at 12:48 a.m.
Hawken: Time is spelled TIME. Newsweek is spelled NEWSWEEK.. I know that spelling and reading can be difficult for for some, but does this short lesson help your confusion?
By the way: if your house catches on fire and the fire department comes to put out the flames and save your life, do they ask if you have fire insurance? Do they ask for your credit card? No, of course not! An example of socialism that works. Health care should work the same way.