Washington to offer first 'public option' insurance in US

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Washington to offer first ‘public option’ insurance in US

By TOM JAMES
May 12, 2019

SEATTLE (AP) — Washington is set to become the first state to enter the private health insurance market with a universally available public option.

A set of tiered public plans will cover standard services and are expected to be up to 10% cheaper than comparable private insurance, thanks in part to savings from a cap on rates paid to providers. But unlike existing government-managed plans, Washington’s public plans are set to be available to all residents regardless of income by 2021.

The Legislature approved the plan last month, and Gov. Jay Inslee is scheduled to sign it into law Monday.

The move thrusts Washington into the national debate over the government’s role in health care, with a hybrid model that puts the state to the left of market-only approaches but stops short of a completely public system.

Instead, the state will dictate the terms of the public option plans but hire private insurance companies to administer them, saving the state from having to create a new bureaucracy — and guaranteeing a role for the insurance industry in managing the new public option.

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/3370e660b151433a95633f21d3f4d85d

[BBG]

1. Interesting in that last paragraph

Instead, the state will dictate the terms of the public option plans but hire private insurance companies to administer them, saving the state from having to create a new bureaucracy — and guaranteeing a role for the insurance industry in managing the new public option.

Been looking for the answer to how to transition the medical-for-profit infrastructure jobs in a move to single payer healthcare.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

2. Kick