WashingtonCAN

Town Hall Meeting Questions

Sample Health Care Questions

Planning to attend a town hall meeting with your state legislators? Let us know! A town hall meeting offers an opportunity to ask legislators to invest in health care.

Budget negotiations are heating up. Washington CAN! is fighting to restore funding for Basic Health – the popular state health program that provides sliding scale coverage to Washington’s working poor. This year we’re asking lawmakers to restore 20,000 slots to the Basic Health Plan.

Sample Town Hall Question on Basic Health:

Basic Health has proven to be an effective state program that provides low-income residents quality health care on a sliding scale. In 2001 voters approved two-to-one by initiative a dedicated funding stream to expand Basic Health enrollment. Despite this broad public support, Basic Health enrollment has been cut. Can we count on you to invest in a popular program that has proven to work by restoring 20,000 Basic Health slots this year?

Basic Health Myths & Facts:

Myth: We can’t afford to expand Basic Health
Fact: Funding for a Basic Health expansion has already been approved by the voters – it just never happened. Voters approved Initiative 773 in 2001 to expand Basic Health through a tobacco tax by a 2-1 margin - but the tax was diverted from its original purpose. Instead of growing to 175,000 slots as voters expected, the program was cut back to 100,000 slots

Myth: There is no demand for more Basic Health slots.
Fact: With 375,000 uninsured people in Washington currently eligible for Basic Health, the demand for more slots is now greater than ever.

Due to implementation delays at the Health Care Authority, only about half of the 6,500 new slots approved in the 2006 legislative session are currently filled. This is because the agency has been slow to hire and train staff capable of handling the increased volume of applications.

In fact, ten years ago - when there were many fewer uninsured people than today - more than 100,000 people were on the Basic Health waiting list.

Myth: Basic Health is making the state pay for people who move from private insurance.
Fact: Over half of newly enrolled Basic Health members were uninsured before signing up. In fact, 85% of the previously uninsured had been without coverage for at least six months, and many for up to three years.

While the remaining group of new enrollees had insurance before coming to Basic Health, the majority of them didn’t have a choice about changing their coverage. Over half lost coverage because they lost a job, were no longer eligible, or their employer no longer offered coverage.

Myth: People on Basic Health are just looking for hand-outs, and many are not citizens.
Fact: Over 60% of Basic Health enrollees come from working families.

Although Basic Health enrollees are not required to prove citizenship, most do by sharing their social security numbers when enrolling. In fact, only about 17% of enrollees do not share their social security numbers.

Basic Health is a no-frills program with shared responsibility – not a hand out. Basic Health enrollees are responsible for paying a monthly premium, a deductible and co-payments.

Myth: The Basic Health program is another expensive, out of control state program.
Fact: Basic Health is a cost effective solution to the crisis of the growing number of uninsured in Washington.

While average per member costs for private health insurance grew an average of 11% each year between 2000—2005, the average cost increase for Basic Health was just 4%.

The uninsured are a direct driver of cost to all individuals and organizations who pay taxes and insurance premiums. Each private family insurance premium includes $1,200 to cover uncompensated care for the uninsured.