Tim Eyman, 200 audience participants, broadcast to 125,000 households in Snohomish County – in one of the highest profile conversations in the region on this issue

Edmonds, WA: “Civic Engagement,” a public affairs show hosted by DJ Wilson and broadcast on the Edmonds Community College cable channel 21/26, is organizing a ‘Town Hall-style’ forum on Initiative 1033. The event details are the following:

7:00 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm)
Monday, October 26th, 2009
Black Box Theater at Edmonds Community College
20000 68th Ave West
Lynnwood WA 98036

DJ Wilson, Managing Editor of healthcareWA, will interview Tim Eyman on Initiative 1033, his involvement in state politics, and the state of government today. AUDIENCE MEMBERS WILL BE ALLOWED TO ASK QUESTIONS. During the latter half of the show, Eyman will take questions from the audience.

DJ Wilson, who also serves as the President of the Edmonds City Council (Snohomish County’s second largest city), will press Eyman to defend Initiative 1033, particularly in light of the difficult state of local and state budgets.

Coming off of a strong forum two weeks prior on Referendum 71 , the Domestic Partnership Bill, “Civic Engagement” and healthcareWA are proud to be hosting another high profile discussion of statewide measures in Snohomish County. The Referendum 71 event was covered by every major local television outlet, and numerous local newspapers, including the Everett Herald. Watch KOMO 4 News coverage here.

The Black Box Theater, in which the Forum will be held, seats 200 people. Students and faculty are reserved 30 tickets. The remaining 170 seats are divided between advocates of the two sides of the issue. Tickets are free, but are required for entrance.

Political importance of Snohomish County:
The “Eyman initiatives,” from anti-discrimination laws (I-200) in 1998 to motor vehicle taxes (I-776) and performance audits (I-900), Snohomish County has been a strong indicator of election results on Eyman sponsored initiatives statewide.

In fact, 8 out of the 11 Eyman sponsored initiatives on the ballot statewide since 1998, Snohomish County has been within 2% points of the final statewide result, and within a range of 4% of the other 3. Public opinion in Snohomish County is a leading indicator of statewide electoral success.

For ticket information, call Jolee Cano at 425-361-2118 or email her at jolee@healthcareWA.com.

Read the full press release here.

The AP released a great piece by Jim Drinkard today that gives a brief history as to how our healthcare system got to where it is today:

The U.S. system was shaped by a World War II government policy that imposed wage controls when much of the nation’s work force was off at war. Barred from wage increases, employers turned to health insurance benefits to attract workers, and job-related health benefits became a staple in the postwar years.

Drinkard goes on to say, “Industrialized countries that provide universal coverage do so because those systems evolved from their own unique histories.” This implies that should we move to universal coverage in the U.S., we will see it emerge and reflect the current employer-based healthcare we have today.

Read the entire piece here.

Very good stuff in the Friday NY Times. Admittedly, I’m late getting this up, but if you haven’t seen this yet, here are two articles worth your review.

First, there is a terribly interesting story on how some providers in California are over-radiating their patients. For instance:

For reasons not yet fully understood, the X-ray technologist, Raven Knickerbocker, activated the CT scan 151 times on the same area, state investigators concluded. A normal test involves some 25 images, Mr. Schlag said. The test was terminated only after the victim’s father, who had been holding his son still, began to worry that it was taking too long.

With this effort advancing before a final reconciliation of the Finance and HELP Committee bills comes forward, will this endanger final passage of reform in the Senate? We’ll see.

A King County man in his 20s died yesterday from complications of the H1N1, or swine, flu strain and his underlying health conditions.

His death is the first reported in King County this fall as flu activity picks up.

“Our hearts go out to this man’s loved ones,” said Dr. David Fleming, Director and Health Officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County. “Flu activity is increasing locally, and this tragedy is a reminder that H1N1 influenza can be a very serious illness and that people with underlying health conditions are at higher risk for severe complications and death. Vaccine is the best protection, and more doses will be arriving weekly to immunize people, beginning with people who need the protection most.”

Federal health officials say the first batch of H1N1 swine flu vaccine includes about 71,000 doses for Washington. This initial vaccine is a nasal spray; flu shots are expected soon.

According to The Everett Herald, those at highest risk include “pregnant women, people who have contact with infants under 6 months, children and young adults from 6 months to 24 years old, those between the ages of 25 to 64 years old with chronic health conditions, teachers and child-care workers.”

On November 13th, the Washington Health Foundation will be presenting the 2009 Improving Health Through National Reform Conference in Seattle, WA. The conference has been the University of Washington’s Health Legislative Conference in the past – but this year the University of Washington will not be hosting it, so the Washington Health Foundation is carrying it on.

With this change in hosts, we can expect to see health reform examined from less of a public policy lens and more from the view of public health, emphasizing preventative care.

Click here to see the conference agenda including the list of speakers.

Click here for more information, including registration and sponsorship information.

You’ve heard it said “America has the best healthcare system in the world.” Is this the case? I don’t think I’m qualified to answer that question – however, the American public seems to disagree with the statement.

According to a new poll released by the Pew Research Center, only 15% of Americans agree that the U.S. has the best healthcare in the world – while 23% think our healthcare is above average, 32% see it as average, and 27% believe it is below average. Additionally, there is a sharp contrast in opinion among party lines – 57% of Republicans view U.S. healthcare as above average or the best in the world, compared to 28% of Democrats, and 38% of Independents (i.e. swing voters).

As the midterm elections draw near, and healthcare emerges as a defining issue, one has to wonder how the right and left will try to win over the Independent voters. Will those on the right continue to market the idea that the U.S. has the greatest healthcare? How will the left respond to public opinion that there is room for improvement in our system? There seems to be consensus that U.S. healthcare can improve, but the question remains: How?

See the full results of the poll here.

There are a number of things moving forward in healthcare reform that have gotten some press – the public option being perhaps the most obvious. Also important has been the president’s call for a reform bill that will not add to the federal deficit.

That last part is a big deal not well appreciated by the main stream media. Moving such a large piece of legislation without it costing anything in the long run is really tough to do. One key piece of this puzzle is a proposed cut to Medicare payments to physicians. A big one of about 21%. I’ve heard from congressional contacts that the number is 25%, but it was reported in the times at the 21% number.

In any case, it’s a big cut. For physicians who already are turning away Medicare patients because reimbursements are too low, this cut would be dramatic. Access for Medicare patients in Washington would be cut drastically due in part to the already very low Medicare reimbursement rates.

And with that, one could easily argue that reform is being paid for at the cost of physicians – and ultimately the seniors who would lose access to care. Not a good way to frame victory ahead of the 2010 elections.

But wait! It turns out that those cuts may not come to pass after all. Sure the cuts will be in the reform package, and sure those cuts are critical to getting the president a budget neutral bill he can sign.

However, it turns out Congressional Democrats are working on a parallel track to offset that cut. They have put together a second, separate bill to reform Medicare reimbursements that would negate this cut.

It may not be the best path to reforming health care – AND keeping doctors seeing Medicare patients. But, if Obama doesn’t veto this second bill then that will be the outcome – reform that has a chance to work.

If that second bill doesn’t pass, then you’ll see nothing short of a mass exodus away from Medicare by physicians. And, if a public option does pass, and it is based on Medicare rates, well then it is “dead on arrival.” There simply won’t be any doctors who will contract with the plan.

The Seattle Times, of all places, has a good summary on this by an AP correspondent. Read it here

After Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine created noise for being the lone Republican on the Senate Finance Committee to vote for health reform – talk quickly circulated about the significance of her vote. Well, shortly after her vote, the New York Times reported that Sen. Snowe was selected by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to join Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) and Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT) in a select group to work on legislation that will blend the Senate Finance Committee bill with the HELP bill passed in July.

What does Sen. Snowe’s inclusion in this group mean? Ezra Klein of the Washington Post offers this analysis:

Democrats really want this bill to be bipartisan — to the point that they’re giving the Republican a space in the negotiations equivalent to the chairmen of the two relevant committees. Indeed, I wouldn’t be shocked if this perk had been negotiated in advance of Snowe’s vote yesterday.

This shifts the room’s balance of power substantially: The negotiations were previously confined to one liberal Democrat and one centrist Democrat. Now they’ll be between one liberal Democrat, one centrist Democrat, and one moderate Republican. In practice, this is likely to mean that Baucus will have something of a trump card against Dodd. If there’s a particularly thorny dispute, and Snowe weighs in strongly alongside Baucus, it’s hard to imagine Reid siding with Dodd, except in the most extraordinary of cases.