YAKIMA, Wash. -- Republican state lawmakers presented their version of health-care reform to a town hall meeting in Yakima on Tuesday and also listened to about 70 local residents for nearly two hours about what they think is wrong -- or right -- with the current system.
It was a mostly polite and orderly evening at the Yakima Convention Center, with only occasional shouts of disagreement over solutions, such as increasing taxes to pay for universal health care, which was definitely a minority opinion.
But one great-grandmother's voice shook with emotion as she talked about how hard it is for people on Medicare to find a doctor while undocumented immigrants are able to find subsidized care.
"Take care of us and stop charging all these taxes to my children," the woman, who refused to give her name, said to loud applause.
Led by Ferndale Republican Doug Ericksen, who is the ranking minority member of the House Health Care Committee, the group included Reps. Charles Ross, R-Naches, David Taylor, R-Moxee, Norm Johnson, R-Yakima, and Bruce Chandler, R-Granger.
Ericksen summarized 10 pieces of legislation that Republicans proposed for state-level reform in the 2009 Legislature, noting that not one received a hearing in the Democratic-controlled body.
But he said the Republican reform roadshow, which has been to Bellingham and Tri-Cities and is headed for Spokane, Vancouver and Bellevue, is meant to build support for a renewed push in the 2010 legislative session.
"Hopefully, you'll keep the fires burning and we'll build a groundswell of support," Ericksen said.
The essence of the Republican plan is to offer more stripped-down health care options to small businesses and young adults; release insurance companies from certain mandated coverage, such as chiropractic care or cancer screenings; provide incentives for health-savings accounts; limit medical malpractice awards and provide vouchers to low-income people to buy health insurance.
The town hall brought out many of Yakima's physicians, who normally don't speak publicly about controversial topics.
Dr. Tom Kennedy, an orthopedic surgeon, drew applause when he said the Republicans' state plan is better than proposed federal reform. Kennedy said the federal government gets in the way of patient care and that Medicare is failing.
But Kennedy also said there is a big divide between the "haves" and "have-nots" in health care that needs to be bridged. "We have got to level the playing field," he said.
Dr. David Krueger, a cardiologist, endorsed no-frills plans, which he said help young people afford insurance. "Mandates matter. My 25-year-old daughter just wants something affordable," he said.
Dr. Linda Seaman called on the lawmakers to "preserve the integrity of family doctors" who practice on the front lines of medicine but are compensated far less than specialists.
Like the other doctors, Seaman said tort reform would keep doctors from practicing expensive defensive medicine by ordering tests in order to cover themselves in the event they are sued for malpractice.
"I practice defensive medicine. You come in with back pain, I order anything and everything," she said.
Seaman also called for more attention to end-of-life care, saying too many older patients are dying in hospital intensive care units when they could be at home, their pain and suffering minimized by palliative care.
"We're going to have a lot of people dying," she said, referring to the aging population, "and we want to do it right."
* Leah Beth Ward can be reached at 509-577-7626 or lward@yakimaherald.com.
Proposed GOP state health-care reforms, followed by Democratic critique
* Allow plans from other states to market to residents here, making insurance a more deregulated market with more choices
Consumers would lack protections provided by Washington state insurance laws that don't apply in other states. For example, insurers in Washington can't discriminate based on gender.
* Remove 19-34 year olds from state Basic Health Plan and allow market to provide core-benefit coverage at an estimated cost of $70-$190 a month
"Core benefit" is a euphemism for bare-bones coverage. Taking out this healthy population would mean more sick people in the basic-health pool, raising costs for everyone else.
* Eliminate state mandates from insurance plans to create more market options for small businesses
Removing requirements like mammograms and other preventive screenings might lower premiums but would only add costs to the system.
* Place limits on the financial damages that could be awarded under medical malpractice lawsuits
Tort reform not only interferes with a citizen's right to seek damages as determined by a jury but would do little to control the cost of health care
Sources: Washington State Legislature and Yakima Herald-Republic research.
