2024 HCFA-WA Annual Meeting Recap

Video is available now of Senator Patty Kuderer's talk and the Q&A that followed, as well as the special message Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal recorded for HCFA-WA's members. Watch them here!

You can also review or download the Annual Meeting materials, including:

• Annual Meeting Slideshow
• Fiscal Year 2025 Goals Handout
• QR Code Flyers: We created these four flyers with QR codes to our website to help reach new eyes. Download, print, and distribute the graphics throughout your community: coffee shops, grocery stores, libraries, farmers markets, community centers, gyms, universities, Post Offices, public transportation and bus stops, medical offices, clinics, churches, public parks, anywhere with a community billboard!

Take a look at our legislative champions! 

2024 General Election Candidates Questionnaire

The results are in for our 2024 Questionnaire to candidates for State Senator, Representative, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and Insurance Commissioner!

The Questionnaire

This year's Questionnaire had three questions with possible answers Yes, No, or Maybe. Candidates who answered Maybe had the option to comment with further explanation or clarification.

Question 1: Do you support legislation for equitable, high quality, sustainable, affordable, publicly funded, publicly and privately delivered health care for all Washington residents?

Question 2: Would you publicly pledge to support a publicly funded Universal Health Care system in Washington State?

Question 3: SJM 8006 was a Senate Joint Memorial in the 2024 Session that requested the federal government to create a universal health care program at the federal level or enable states to establish their own state-based universal health care system. Did you support this measure or would you support a similar measure in the 2025 Session?

We also asked candidates to share their thoughts on health care in Washington state, so keep scrolling to the right in the spreadsheet to see them!

Candidates who answered Yes to all three questions are our Health Care Champions, highlighted in yellow in the spreadsheet. At the bottom of the sheet are two tabs for the different races. Click to navigate. If you have any issues viewing, email [email protected]. 

View results here!

FTAC in November: A focus on Costs and Cost Containment!

By Consuelo Echeverria

The following is a summary of Peter Hallum’s presentation highlighting key points of the progress and methodology of the Milliman analysis. 

Please note a single payer model is not included in the analysis. 

Data Collection & Analysis:

• Public and proprietary data are used, with some limitations on Medicaid and PEBB data.
• Three benefit scenarios are modeled: Medicaid-like, PEBB/SEBB-like, and Cascade silver-like.
• Focus on populations such as state employees, uninsured, ERISA groups, and low-income Medicaid-eligible individuals.

Projected Results:

• Analysis covers actuarial values, reimbursement rates, and medical management assumptions.
• Sensitivity testing will show the impact of different cost-sharing scenarios and spending shifts.

Next Steps:

• Internal reviews to conclude by month-end, with feedback incorporated before releasing to FTAC and the public.
• The goal is to refine assumptions and provide a comprehensive view of cost-sharing impacts.

Oregon's Politically Feasible Rate Setting Strategy 

A comprehensive discussion on Oregon's Politically Feasible Rate Setting Strategy highlighted that Oregon's model represents a politically feasible and effective approach to hospital rate-setting.  Could Washington learn from their experience?

Read the detailed summary of Oregon’s key points here.

Join us as we track the next meeting of the UHCC on Dec 5,  2024, 2-5 p.m.

We encourage you to:

• Sign up to provide public comment by 5 p.m. the day before the meeting occurs.
• We urge our members to push for a single payer plan in their public comments.
• Read our take on past UHCC and FTAC meetings
• Subscribe to Health Care Authority (HCA) for updates.

Doctors for America’s “eGREEDgious” Campaign

Doctors for America is launching a national campaign targeting GREED as a fundamental problem of health care in America. Here’s an early posting from the campaign:
Andrew Witty is the CEO of United Healthcare.  Last year, he made $21 million. Figuring he works somewhat more than the standard 2000 hours a year, he makes around $8000 an hour. How long does it take him to make as much as you do in a year?

If you are a medical assistant, 5 hours.
If you are a lab tech, 8 hours.
If you are a registered nurse, about a day and a half.
If you are a doctor, less than a week.
If you are President of the United States, a little over a week.

Is this fair or is this greed?

PSARA: Working across generations for social justice, economic security, dignity, and a healthy planet for all of us.

Read & Download PSARA’s 2nd edition Primer on Leveling the Medicare Playing Field