HUGE THANKS TO ALL WHO TUNED IN TO THIS MEETING!
The purpose of Meeting #5 was to hear the concerns of the Work Group members and the public in these three important areas:
- cost-sharing
- provider reimbursement
- criteria used to assess the three draft models* - (see detail below)
This meeting provided information important for the dynamic modelling and actuarial analyses to be done by the facilitators, and set the stage for future Work Group discussions. It also generated great interest among the public. In fact, the 37-member Work Group was outnumbered by the 41 individuals who registered to provide public comments. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, only 10 were able to deliver their comments during the meeting.
To everyone who watched or participated in the meeting: THANK YOU for the time you took to join the meeting, and prepare and deliver your comments!
GOOD NEWS!
There is still time to submit written comments to the Work Group:
Public Comment Deadline: Friday, September 11th at 5 p.m.
HCFA-WA supports Model A* (see below) because it best addresses Access, Governance, Quality, Equity and Administrative issues in our state. The more people who support it, the more politically Feasible it becomes! We hope you’ll comment and support Model A too! There are state legislators on this Work Group and they are listening to public comments.
Check out the Comments submitted by Kevin Wren, who recently joined HCFA-WA to work on Communications and Policy.
The recordings are well worth the viewing, if you were unable to tune in live, or want a refresher.
MAIN TAKEAWAYS:
Takeaway #1: Broad agreement that cost-sharing is to be avoided as it discourages care and has a high administrative burden.
Takeaway #2: Broad agreement that provider reimbursement levels take into account savings due to economies of scale and decreased administrative burden due to elimination of prior authorization requirements.
Takeaway #3: Broad agreement that discussions of the models be data-driven and utilize evidence-based practices. Interestingly, one Work Group member suggested that “practice-based evidence” be considered.
Takeaway #4: Broad agreement that Model A best meets 5 of the 6 key criteria: Access to care; Governance - oversight and assuring patients have a voice in their care; Quality of care and Equity in delivery of care, and Administration - controlling costs, and facilitating data sharing and data portability.
Takeaway 5: Broad agreement that Model C would best meet the Feasibility criterion, but would be the least desirable, as it does not represent a change from our current model of health care delivery.
*Three Draft Models 
A. Universal care managed, administered, and funded by state government – the model that HCFA-WA supports
B. Universal care with the benefit plan set by the state, but administered by private insurers
C. Fill-in-the-gaps care with standard benefit plan that is administered by private insurers, much as it is today
Meeting #5 results will be used to dynamically analyze these models and set parameters for cost analyses.
The remaining Work Group Meetings are coming up soon. We encourage you to mark your calendars, listen in, and continue to submit your comments.
Wed., Sept. 16, 2020 – 1-4 p.m.
Wed., Oct. 7, 2020 – 1-4 p.m.
Wed., Nov. 18, 2020 – 1-4 p.m.
We can’t make universal health care happen for Washington without your support!