The Washington state Legislature is poised to make decisions that have serious consequences for access to health care for state employees and everyone living in South Puget Sound.
Budget and tax proposals under consideration by the Washington state House and Senate will reduce resources for hospital services by $280 to $330 million annually when the cuts are fully implemented.
Particularly relevant to the residents of Thurston and Lewis counties is Senate Bill 5083, a proposal that caps rates paid to hospitals for services delivered to people who get their health insurance through the Public Employee Benefit Board or the School Employee Benefit Board.
It is estimated this policy will reduce payments to hospitals across the state by $170 million per year when fully implemented.
Providence St. Peter and Centralia hospitals, as well as MultiCare Capital Medical Center, will be hit the hardest by this policy, with 28,878 of the state’s nearly 77,000 employees living in Thurston and Lewis counties.
Cuts at this level will result in fewer health care services for everyone in Olympia and surrounding communities. Wait times to get routine appointments and critical diagnostic tests are already weeks and months long. These cuts will mean longer waits for critical hospital services, more crowded emergency department waiting rooms and fewer caregivers to provide care.
This is a cut our hospitals simply cannot afford.
While the policy saves the state money, it does not lower our costs of providing care to those patients. We have experienced significant inflation in the cost of supplies, pharmaceuticals and equipment needed to provide health care services.
Providence St. Peter and Centralia hospitals and Capital Medical Center provide access to life-saving health care services.
