Governor’s budget will harm health care

Published 2:20 pm Friday, December 17, 2010

Governor Gregoire proposed a budget that will shred Washington State’s health care safety net. Her budget will force more than 110,000 people off health insurance on March 1, 2011.

These are poor children, people with disabilities and low-income workers. They have no other options for health insurance, will remain uninsured and will flood Washington state’s already overcrowded community emergency rooms.

Her budget also will eliminate critical health care benefits that low-income and disabled people need to maintain their health.

The governor clearly hopes that non-profits and community based organizations, including hospitals, will be able to pick up the pieces. Let us be very clear: hospitals are not able to absorb the impact of these cuts.

If enacted, these cuts will be felt for years to come and will create enormous instability in our state’s health care system.

Cassie Sauer, Vice President, Public Affairs, Washington State Hospital Association