February 06, 2023

By Cris M. Currie, RN (ret.) Traditional Medicare is once again under serious threat as this country continues to drift further off course with how it pays for healthcare. Since 1970, Congress has encouraged the privatization of the Medicare program under the guise of...

January 31, 2023

A Lot to Like: Main Takeaways from the Finance Technical Advisory Committee Meeting #1 by Marcia Stedman The Finance Technical Advisory Committee (FTAC) remotely met each other and the public for the first time on January 12, 2023. We are encouraged by the experience...

November 04, 2022

by Consuelo Echeverria The Universal Health Care Commission’s (UHCC) October meeting focused on the mandated report due Nov 1st to the Washington State Legislature.  At the same time our neighbor to the south, Oregon released its Joint Task Force on Universal Health Care report...

October 31, 2022

Universal Health Care Commission Meeting 8: Three Important Actions, Four Main Takeaways By Marcia Stedman  Three Actions     Voted to approve their Nov. 1st Baseline Report to the Legislature     Authorized the Financial Technical Advisory Committee (FTAC) application process     Discussed their Work...

September 27, 2022

Public Comments Lead the Way by Marcia StedmanSeptember 27, 2022 At Meeting #7, the Commissioners grappled with key elements that must be included in their Nov. 1 Report to the Legislature. Takeway #1 - Need for a clear articulated plan  Having received significant pushback...

July 31, 2022

Universal Health Care Commission Dips Toes into Discussing Near Term Steps to UHC at July Meeting  This month’s UHCC recap appears courtesy of author Kelly Powers, Co-chair of the Policy Committee that focuses on the UHCC as an important part of the work by...

June 30, 2022

Key Design Elements of a UHC System by Consuelo Echeverria In the  June session, we got to hear from the Commission members themselves as they discussed Washington’s readiness to implement key design elements of a universal health care system.  1. What should WA state’s...

May 31, 2022

  Who Knew?   or  Yes, It Really Is This Complicated! By Marcia Stedman Image Credit: Matt Wuerker, Politico Meeting #4 of the Universal Health Care Commission (UHCC) included  an overview of recent legislation including advancements in behavioral health, housing, and Medicaid and two bills...

January 31, 2022

If you missed the January 4th meeting and would like to see it, here is the link. For a  bit of background for new readers, click here.  The January 4th meeting started with a summary of the findings from the WA State Institute for Public Policy...

January 20, 2022

We are spotlighting the members of the Universal Health Care Commission who introduced themselves at our Second Wednesday Speaker Series on December 8. On the recommendation of the offices of the Washington State Health Care Authority and the Attorney General, we invited only the...