Last week Washington CAN! and Northwest Health Law Advocates partnered to release a new study by the Urban Institute that offers an independent analysis of the viability in Washington State of the Federal Basic Health Program. The Federal Basic Health Program is a new state option under national health reform that has been called the “best kept secret” of health reform and is modeled after our state’s Basic Health Plan, but funded with federal dollars.
The report shows that this new program could offer more affordable coverage for low-income Washington residents, resulting in a 9% to 22% increase in health coverage for the eligible population than without the option, reducing the overall number of uninsured.
Washington’s own Sen. Maria Cantwell and Rep. Jim McDermott championed the Federal Basic Health Program as a part of the national health reform strategy, modeling the program after our state’s Basic Health plan. The state program has successfully offered low-cost coverage to Washington workers for years, though state budget limits have resulted in a wait list of over 160,000 people. The federal option would use newly available federal funds to cover those with incomes below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level through a similar program beginning in 2014.
“For 25 years, Washington state’s Basic Health Plan has been a national model for using a state’s purchasing power to provide affordable coverage to thousands of families,” said U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA). “The federal Basic Health Plan provisions will give all states the power to negotiate for better insurance rates for lower-income individuals and families.”
