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April UHCC Meeting: Washington's long & winding road to Universal Health Care

is still long and winding . . .

By Marcia Stedman

At its April meeting, the Commission continued moving with all deliberate speed toward its goal of designing a universal health care system for Washington, while focussing mainly on making immediate improvements in health care affordability and access.

View the Meeting Video  and  Meeting Materials 

Main Takeaways:

  1. The actuarial study that was funded in 2023 is now on the horizon.
  2. The Financial Technical Advisory Committee (FTAC) was directed to evaluate the benefits and costs of 3 state-administered programs and the impact of cost-sharing levels on patient access to those benefits, a hopeful sign that a benefits package may soon be recommended.
  3. In its analysis of the Washington Health Trust plan, the FTAC appeared skeptical of its feasibility and noted that some details were missing and the topics covered are already being studied by the FTAC.
  4. The Commission will receive agency reports in December on improving efficiency in state-administered health plans and ensuring that individuals losing Medicaid coverage can enroll in an affordable Health Benefit Exchange Plan. 
  5. The administrative simplicity expert noted that it is not possible for administrative simplicity alone to save money in our existing system.

And that is why we do the work we do!  

Take courage, and gear up for the next installment in the UHCC/FTAC saga. Will the FTAC have any recommendations on benefit design at its next meeting?

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