Healthy Families

Governor Chris Gregoire is committed to increasing access to high-quality, affordable health care. Healthy citizens are the backbone of a productive and vibrant community. As the richest nation in the world, we have a responsibility to provide everyone access to the best health care, at a reasonable price.

Our health-care crisis needs national solutions but Governor Gregoire will not stand by and wait for the federal government to act. With our internationally recognized research and high-tech institutions, Washington is well positioned to lead the nation in disease management and prevention. With strong leadership, we can make sure the basic health care needs of all our citizens are met.

Governor Gregoire is committed to the six health care goals established by her Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Care:

  • All Washingtonians will have access to health coverage that provides effective care by 2012, with all children having such coverage by 2010;

  • Washington will become one of the top ten healthiest states in the nation;

  • Population health indicators will be consistent across race, gender and income levels throughout the state;

  • Increased use of evidence-based care brings better health outcomes and satisfaction to consumers; and

  • The rate of increase in total health care spending will be no more than the growth in personal income.

Increasing Access to Health Care and Prescription Drugs

Governor Gregoire believes that all children should have access to health care – no child should go without. She has promised that all of Washington’s children will be insured by 2010, and she’s taking great strides to reach that goal. During her first week in office, she signed a directive to prevent 26,000 children from losing their health care coverage. The number of additional insured children continues to climb, despite little help from the federal government. Since Governor Gregoire took office, 84,000 more children in Washington now have access to health insurance.

Governor realizes if health care isn’t accessible, Washingtonians won’t receive it. That is why the Governor pledges to increase health care access, especially in rural Washington. The Governor has invested in the creation and expansion of rural education networks. She also has provided funding needed to expand the Washington State University Nursing School in Spokane as well as the University of Washington Schools of Medicine and Dentistry.

Like other states, we have a severe shortage of nurses. Governor Gregoire is committed to making programs available so those who want to go in to nursing, can get the training they need. In 2008, Governor Gregoire proposed investing $3 million to provide training for health care workers who are ready to advance their careers, but can’t take time off the job to do it. The Governor believes that through working with hospitals, community colleges and unions to train health care workers, Washingtonians will continue to have easy access to high-quality health care providers.

Governor Gregoire also believes that individuals should have access to mental health care services just as they have access to physical health care services. She championed legislation to require that insurance coverage for mental health care services be on par with coverage for other medical services.

In 2005, Governor Gregoire developed a state-sponsored prescription drug consortium that has reduced the cost of prescription drugs for the uninsured and underinsured. Washington and Oregon in 2006 announced a partnership to expand this consortium for residents of both states, increasing our ability to negotiate lower prescription drug costs. In 2007, Governor Gregoire introduced a state-sponsored prescription drug discount card that saves Washingtonians up to 60 percent on prescription drugs. To date, over 90,000 Washingtonians have received the card, helping them realize almost $5 million in savings. And the Governor continues to look for ways to reduce health care costs while maintaining a high-quality health care system.

Improving Our Health

Good health is central to our quality of life, the vibrancy of our communities and our ability to remain competitive in a global market. This is why Governor Gregoire is passionate about ensuring that each of us is as healthy as possible. No other strategy can compare to healthy lifestyles in terms of improving health and stretching our health care dollars.

Governor Gregoire is pleased that Washington is now a recognized leader in tobacco prevention and control. With her continued leadership, Washington has the sixth lowest smoking rate in the country. Recent data indicates that there are approximately 240,000 fewer smokers today and $2.1 billion saved in future health care costs as a result of this work.

Ensuring the health of our children is also critical. In the past four years, Governor Gregoire has invested an additional $23 million in childhood immunizations, $20 million to support our public health infrastructure, and $10 million to increase family planning services to women across the state.

She also launched the Governor’s Community Health Bowl in 2005, in partnership with the Washington Health Foundation, to challenge all Washingtonians to exercise regularly and improve their health. Hundreds of community organizations, schools, businesses and others participate in this annual education campaign. In its first year, Washingtonians walked more than 1 million miles as part of the challenge.

Creating a Health Care System that Works

Governor Gregoire recognizes that fewer people today have health insurance than five years ago. The cost of health care is increasing at more than triple the rate of inflation. This creates a hardship for Washington citizens, businesses and state government.

The Governor is committed to improving the affordability and quality of our health care system. She believes state government should serve as a model in the marketplace. To do this, in 2005 she implemented a 5–point health care plan that includes:

  • Using evidence-based medicine to ensure that patients receive health care that works;

  • Expanding chronic care management to better serve the 5 percent of patients who use 50 percent of our health care resources;

  • Emphasizing health promotion and prevention;

  • Using health information technology; and

  • Increasing data transparency to give consumers better information about health-care costs and quality.

Progress on this plan has been significant. For example, Governor Gregoire implemented a one–of–a–kind program to pay for new and emerging technologies that work and are safe for patients. Already, 7 major technologies have been reviewed by a panel of expert clinicians, which determined that many were not sufficiently safe, clinically–effective or cost–effective. The Governor has also funded grants to local providers so that they can implement health information technology systems.

Ensuring Safe, Quality Health care Providers

Medical malpractice lawsuits can drive up the cost of care, so Governor Gregoire negotiated a breakthrough agreement in 2006 among lawmakers and the medical, insurance and legal communities. This landmark agreement improves patient safety and reforms the civil justice system involving medical liability.

Governor Gregoire has proposed budgets that significantly increased reimbursement rates for adult day services in Washington. This is crucial to supporting family caregivers as well as promoting social networks for our seniors and disabled citizens. She has increased state funding for hospitals, primary care office visits, pediatric services and dental care.

The Governor is also committed to ensuring that patients have access to safe, quality health care providers. She issued an executive order that directed the Department of Health and professional disciplinary boards to adopt uniform sexual misconduct rules. She also signed legislation requiring them to adopt uniform sanctioning guidelines for providers who exhibit unprofessional conduct or substandard care. Under Governor Gregoire the state has expanded professional and criminal background checks for anyone seeking a healthcare license in our state.

Moving Washington Forward

Governor Gregoire moved the issue of Washington health care forward as co-chair of the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Care Costs and Access. This bipartisan commission issued a number of recommendations that form the foundation for the Governor’s health care agenda. Chief among them are:

  • Using state purchasing to improve health-care quality;

  • Delivering on the promise of health information technology;

  • Reducing unnecessary emergency room visits;

  • Strengthening the public health system; and

  • Reducing health care administrative costs.

The Governor has, and will continue, to deliver on the goals and recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission.

Healthy Families Lead Happier, More Productive Lives

Governor Chris Gregoire believes that every Washington family deserves access to high-quality, affordable health care. This is a necessity if we want our families to be secure, our businesses to be competitive and our state budget to be sustainable. Governor Gregoire is excited about Washington’s potential to serve as the national model for providing high-quality, affordable health care for every American. Already, national experts are noticing Washington’s ability to tackle the sources of our health care challenges.

In the 2007–09 budget, the Governor focused on the quality and affordability of health care in Washington. She expanded access to health care coverage for 38,500 additional children, which moved the state closer to the Governor’s goal of covering all children by 2010. Since Governor Gregoire took office, 84,000 more children now have access to health insurance. She rolled out a new prescription drug card that has saved Washingtonians more than $1.8 million and covered prescription drug co-pays for 49,000 low-income seniors a month.

In addition, she signed the Blue Ribbon Commission Health Care bill, which calls for carrying out more than 20 initiatives to improve health care. This includes funding to better manage chronic illnesses such as diabetes, and to help give patients and providers real-time access to their medical records.

In 2007, Governor Gregoire tackled another fundamental issue with our health care system — patient safety. This was the next logical step in the road to reform. All Washingtonians deserve safe, high-quality health care. They rightfully expect their health care providers to be well qualified and, above all, do no harm. We must ensure that health care is safe, effective and well coordinated.

Governor Gregoire improved patient safety by increasing the licensing and oversight standards of providers practicing in our state, expanding investigations of health care complaints and using technology to reduce medication errors.

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