A morality tale of health care from a blue state.

Universal Health Insurance in Washington State:
A Grim Prognosis For All of Us
Conrad F. Meier

In May 1993, a solidly liberal legislature and governor passed a universal health care law that included all of the key elements of the original Clinton plan:

—- A powerful new bureaucracy with more regulation
—- Mandates to buy health insurance with government-defined benefits package
—- Mandatory managed care
—- Price controls and global budgets
—- Government-controlled health care purchasing cooperatives
—- Guaranteed issue coverage and guaranteed renewability with limits of pre-existing conditions
—- Community rating and low income subsidies
—- A patient data collection system

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As of September 1999, Group Health Cooperative and Regence BlueShield —- the last two providers of individual health insurance —- both announced they would stop selling individual insurance policies in Washington State. This now leaves the individuals and families in 30 counties without private insurance options. According to State Senator Thibaudeau, there are now about 600,000 uninsured residents, or 11 percent of the state.

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The market for health insurance in the state of Washington is collapsing because of determined shortsightedness. In 1993, before radical insurance reform, 19 insurers sold individual insurance, Today, only three do. Between 1994 and 1997, the six largest insurance companies lost more than $116 million on individual policies. The loss trend continues today for the remaining insurers.

The effects of the proposed “Health Care Reform” are historically documented.

This is the future.