Inside Olympia: Health Care Costs Rising, But State Leaders Pledge Help

“If I had my way, we would move to universal health care, plain and simple. Because, as I have said before, I do believe that health care is a human right.” – Patty Kuderer, Washington State Insurance Commissioner

“Health insurance – it’s expensive, it’s complicated, and people often need support and help, and we’re here for that.” – Ingrid Ulrey, CEO, Washington Health Benefit Exchange

Washington’s health insurance market is facing turbulence, but the outlook is improving. A new emergency rule from the state’s insurance regulator has helped stabilize coverage as the fate of federal tax credits remains uncertain. A congressional deal to reopen the federal government deferred a vote on renewing those credits until next month.

Roughly 300,000 Washingtonians buy insurance through the state’s Health Benefit Exchange. They still face an average 21% premium increase — the largest since the exchange began — but early projections that 80,000 people could lose coverage have been cut nearly in half.

Kuderer said her office acted quickly to prevent a worst-case scenario. “We aligned the premiums so that we could make health care more accessible for some folks,” she told TVW’s Inside Olympia.

Ulrey said the rule and the state’s Cascade Care Savings program — combining public option plans with state-funded premium aid for lower-income residents — are cushioning the blow. “Due to this intervention… we predict only half of those 80,000 might drop,” she said.