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Healthcare for All – Washington Washington Health Security Trust: How to get to state-based universal health care www.healthcareforallWA.org 1 “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.” in a 1966 speech to the Medical Committee for Human Rights 2 Does this make sense to you? 3 Paying much more while getting much less U.S. United States Norway Switzerland Netherlands Austria Canada Germany Denmark Luxembourg France Belgium Sweden Australia Ireland United Kingdom Finland Japan New Zealand Italy Portugal Slovenia Greece Israel Korea Czech Republic Slovak Republic Hungary Chile Poland Estonia Mexico Health care spending per person 0 2000 4000 6000 US Dollars 8000 Sweden Switzerland Italy Luxembourg Israel Netherlands Norway Australia Japan Ireland Austria Germany Denmark Korea Greece Canada United Kingdom Slovenia Finland Portugal Belgium France New Zealand Czech Republic Chile United States U.S. Slovak Republic Poland Estonia Hungary Mexico 10000 Premature death, ages 0-69 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 Potential years of life lost per 100K 7000 4 The high cost of care in the U.S. Costs for Selected Procedures, U.S. vs. France (2012 data from International Federation of Health Plans) $14,000 U.S. France $13,851 $12,000 $9,775 $10,000 $8,000 $6,000 $4,463 $4,287 $3,541 $4,000 $2,000 $914 $853 $264 $1,121 $363 $0 Angiogram Appendectomy: total cost Cost of hospital per day MRI Normal delivery: total cost Public Citizen, “Severing the Tie That Binds: Why a Publicly Funded, Universal Health Care System Would Be a Boon to U.S. Businesses” http://www.citizen.org/documents/severing-the-ties-that-bind-business-universalhealthcare-report.pdf 5 The cost of deferred care A 12-year-old boy had an abscessed tooth. His mother was unable to pay $80 to have it pulled. He developed a severe brain infection. After two surgeries and weeks of care costing $250,000, he died. Cost of pulling an abscessed tooth Cost of treating a brain infection $80 $250,000 “Toothache Leads to Boy's Death.” ABC News, March 5, 2007. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Dental/Story?id=2925584&page=1 6 Private insurers’ high overhead 7 How the U.S. does it Complex, bureaucratic intermediaries stand between you and your doctor. Your family Private insurers Your doctor 8 How other countries do it Other countries regard health insurance as a public good. They cover all residents. They have fees supervised by the government. They have no deductibles, though perhaps co-pays. They have one universal benefit plan. Supplemental insurance is allowed. 9 Useful features of the Affordable Care Act Young adults eligible for parents’ insurance No lifetime limits on coverage Medicare “donut” hole eliminated over 10 years Preventive care included at no charge Price discrimination now limited only to age and tobacco usage States allowed to innovate with better plans 10 Problems with the Affordable Care Act 25 million or more uninsured after 2017 Provider continuity not guaranteed Age discrimination in pricing Half of the States have chosen not to expand Medicaid Erratic oversight due to regulation at the state level Four levels of cost sharing based on premium (platinum, gold, silver, bronze) 11 We can do better! Universal coverage: Everybody in, nobody out A single agency for health care financing Publicly financed, but privately delivered An improved ability to control costs Continuity of care, regardless of employment status 12 Washington Health Security Trust All Washington residents covered Simple, easy to understand Comprehensive health coverage (medical, vision, and mental health) with no deductibles or co-pays Choice of any licensed provider Lower cost - much lower administrative costs and negotiated prices Purchase of supplementary benefits allowed 13 How the WHST is to be financed Joint Select Committee on Health Care Oversight will: commission an actuarial study devise a financing system to raise sufficient funds Funding sources may include: an employer assessment on ALL employers an individual premium for all adult residents 14 Washington Health Security Trust: “What’s in it for me?” Whether you’re insured, uninsured, retired, in school, or unemployed, the WHST will provide: Lower-cost, high-quality care with choice of any licensed provider Continuity of health coverage regardless of student or employment status Possible Medigap coverage, supplementing Medicare Relax! You’re covered. 15 Moving ahead – state by state The Washington Health Security Trust (WHST) bill had a House hearing on Feb. 1, 2013; more than 100 people showed up in support of the bill. In the 2015 session it has 40 House and Senate co-sponsors. In addition to Washington, activists in California, Oregon, Vermont, and many other states are working to implement universal coverage plans. They regularly share information and strategy as part of the group One Payer States. 16 What you can do…. (1) Talk to your state legislators in Olympia Ask them to publicly support the Washington Health Security Trust, HB 1025 / SB 5132. Use the comment link on the official bill website. Tell them your personal story…in 60 seconds! Talk to everyone you know about the WHST Book a speaker for your group from Health Care For All-Washington 17 What you can do…. (2) Join Health Care for All—Washington and be a part of our statewide network of supporters Meet with us … ● To practice “10 Best Talking Points” ● To plan meetings with legislators ● To rehearse our personal stories 18 Washington Health Security Trust Don’t wait for Congress to act. Universal coverage is possible, state by state! www.healthcareforallWA.org Rev. 2/15 19