Susan Johnson, director of the Northwest region of the Department of Health and Human Services, left, and King County Councilwoman Julia Patterson address questions from the audience about changes that the federal health care reform bill is going to bring.
Sept. 23 marked the day when national health care reform entered its first stages of action and on Sept 15, King County Councilwoman Julia Patterson held a public meeting to address the issues attached to that.
State Sen. Karen Keiser and Susan Johnson, director of the Northwest region of the Department of Health and Human Services, were also there.
Keiser told the small audience of less than two-dozen people that on Sept. 23, "a lot of consumer protections would take place. Those include:
Parents with a young adult as a child can extend their insurance coverage to their young adult up to age 26
Insurance coverage will not have a cost cap - meaning that insurance companies cannot stop covering a patient because their medical costs are too expensive
Children with pre-existing conditions are eligible for coverage
A new state program called the Health Insurance Partnership, which small businesses can enroll into to provide affordable health insurance to their employees, with at least 60 percent of the premium costs covered by the state
"Washington state is leaning forward in the implementation of health care," Keiser said.
The women heading the meeting emphasized that health care reform would also bring a strong focus on preventative care.
"We wanted the federal government to adopt a bill that promotes good health habits," Patterson said.
The rain kept attendance at the meeting low, but that didn't prevent the less than 20 people in the audience from throwing out their questions and concerns regarding the new health care changes.
One elderly couple said their insurance rates had dramatically increased and asked if that had to do with the health care law.
"[Rate hikes] are going to be examined by the feds and the state," Susan Johnson, from the Health and Human Services department, said.
She and Patterson warned that insurance companies could be using the federal health care reform bill as a false reason for why they were increasing rates.
One man asked if the legislation would address the need for constant tests that might be unnecessary.
"My doctor tells me, 'If I don't do these tests, I'm going to court,'" he said.
Johnson said that the health care bill has pilot programs that would help states improve tort reform policies.
