OLYMPIA… According to a new report, an innovative proposal introduced by Sen. Linda Evans Parlette, R-Wenatchee would cover nearly 60,000 more young adults and is the only proposal that would result in increased insurance coverage at no cost to the state. Today the state Legislature heard for the first time a report on five health care reform proposals presented by Mathematica Policy Research. Senate Bill 6333, passed last year, created the Washington Citizens' Work Group on Health Care to conduct the study. The analysis examines a variety of health care reform proposals the Legislature has recently considered or is considering now.

Senate Bill 5052 would permit insurance carriers to design a special coverage plan for young adults ages 19 to 34 with their particular needs in mind. This group makes up more than half of Washington’s uninsured population. Today, insurance plans sold in Washington must by law cover more than 50 types of services and providers – and the price tag reflects that extensive coverage. Young adults who might want a more tailored, affordable policy that covers only the services they need are simply out of luck. A host of other states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, New Hampshire and Nevada, allow young adults to purchase these types of tailored plans. More than 75 percent of young adults enrolled in these plans were previously uninsured. When the plan was unveiled in California, 33,000 young adults signed up for the program in the first nine months.

Parlette’s proposal also requires that if someone on the plan becomes pregnant, she could be moved without a waiting period onto a plan that covers pregnancy. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner must provide educational and outreach materials to young adults about the plan as funds are available to do so.

Parlette says it is especially important during these tough budget times to find ways to make health care coverage more affordable, accessible and attractive for young adults. 

“Our budget situation is getting worse by the day, and the governor has proposed cutting spending on the state’s Basic Health Plan by half,” said Parlette. “That fact, coupled with the reality that more young people are facing the possibility of being out of work, means it is critical to make sure there are affordable health care policies out there for them to purchase. These young, usually healthy individuals often don’t need or want expensive, full-scale policies. They want something affordable that is tailored to their needs. If our goal really is to increase health care coverage and do it in a way that is realistic given our budget situation, then this plan should be at the top of our list.”

Parlette was a member of the governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Care Costs and Access in 2006. One of the commission’s recommendations (see recommendation #8 on page 9) for making health care more accessible and affordable was to give individuals and families more choice in selecting private insurance plans that work for them. To meet that need, Parlette introduced bills in 2007 and 2008 to help young people access affordable coverage. The bills made some progress in the Legislature, but did not pass.

- 30 -