Candidate Keys On Health Costs

The Legislature needs to change some recent medical insurance reforms to keep costs down, a health care analyst said Tuesday in announcing his candidacy for the Legislature.

“There’s a lot of things broken about health care,” said Kerry Luciani, a Democratic candidate for the state House of Representatives.

The state should reduce the cost of its basic health plan by subsidizing premiums with taxes on alcohol and cigarettes, he said. It should do a better job of explaining that inexpensive health plan to the public, he added.

Some recent reforms - such as covering pre-existing medical conditions of patients as soon as three months after they enroll - are forcing up costs for everyone, the candidate said.

Luciani, 34, is a financial analytic coordinator for Group Health Northwest, a position in which he tries to find efficiencies and negotiates contracts with hospitals for the health maintenance organization.

He becomes the second health care professional to enter the Democratic primary for the seat, joining retired Veterans Affairs nurse Judy Personett.

Banker-turned-small businessman Brad Benson is running as a Republican, and GOP incumbent Jean Silver has not announced whether she will seek re-election.

Luciani wants the state to attract high technology businesses and the jobs they provide through a system of tax deferrals and credits. That probably requires a change in the state constitution, he said.

“Obviously, one person can’t do that alone,” he said.

Luciani, who is married and has one child, moved to Spokane in 1994 after working in the health care industry in California.

“I know the area extremely well for the amount of time I’ve lived here,” he said. “I’ve knocked on a lot of doors (campaigning) already.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo