Quality, Affordable Healthcare
Over one million Washingtonians go without health care coverage. That’s 30% of our state's population under 65.* The costs of healthcare, insurance, and paper-work are too high for many employers (and self-employed workers) to afford, cutting into profits and competitiveness. As one example, Starbucks spends more on health insurance than on coffee. Affordable quality healthcare for all is a top priority, for the economy's sake as well as peace-of-mind.
 Americans have the highest healthcare costs in the world, spending 60% more than other industrialized countries, yet we rank 37th down the WHO list of healthcare performance. Fiscally responsible leadership demands that we improve. Here in Washington, we have the opportunity to take the lead on this issue even if our national leaders aren't willing or able to give us real results.
It's time we stepped up to the challenge of providing quality, affordable health care for all Washingtonians. Our first step should be funding the Democratic plan to guarantee health coverage for all children in Washington, like the programs that have already been instituted by Democratic governors in Vermont and Illinois. Representative Judy Clibborn has already introduced that program in the form of HB 1441, which has my enthusiastic support.
I also support measures to help average-income families afford the rising cost of basic health needs. Making basic health care accessible to everyone is one of our responsibilities as a community--it's a common-sense measure that provides for the common good.
Dealing with Long-Term Care
Illness and injury can strike anyone, and old age comes to us all. For 20 years my family took care of my father as he fought Parkinson's Disease. My mother helped found the first Eastside Parkinson's Support Group, led by RN Maria Linde and others. Later, my brother and I were primary caregivers to both our parents and grandmother simultaneously.
I understand the demands caregiving places on families and healthcare providers. In Olympia, I will push for improved family medical leave measures, better elder-care services, and training for providers.
Parkinson's Disease patients and those who love them know that one of the most promising glimmers of hope for treating this degenerative disease is stem-cell research. I support ethical stem-cell research that holds hope for families suffering from PD and many other chronic diseases. (Michael J. Fox describes his views in a short interview.)
World-Class Care
Alongside improving access to health care, we need to do everything we can to raise the quality of care available to everyone in our state. We need to move toward higher standards and evidence-based care. As Governor Gregoire said in a recent speech:
A recent RAND study says that patients receive the recommended care for their condition only 55% of the time. Shifting towards evidence-based care, we can and we will do much better.
Evidence-based care also means having standards for delivery of care. Because patients should expect the same standard of care whether they’re in Seattle or Ritzville, Yakima or Vancouver.
Democrats voted to support this measure in Olympia, while Republicans voted against it along party lines. I believe that everyone deserves access to a high standard of health care, and I will work toward that goal in Olympia.
* Sources: HealthCareForAllWA.org, Families USA (June 2004, citizens under 65 without health insurance for six months or more), US Census, Lewin Group, National Coalition on Health Care, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, New England Journal of Medicine, World Health Organization, OECD, Reader's Digest.
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