November: Health Care in Washington State

EDUCATION

On Tuesday, November 18, two representatives from Sound Alliance joined us at the Greenwood Senior Center to discuss the Health Care Crisis in Washington and important values to consider in any new health care reform proposal. Tom Buchanan and Aaron Katz presented harrowing facts about our current health care system and engaged SAGE participants in a lively discussion about their frustrations, concerns and experiences regarding the situation.

The following are a few brief facts about the Health Care Crisis in Washington:

1. Over the last five years, health care costs for the typical Washington household have risen over six times faster than family income.
2. An estimated 19,000 Washington residents file for medical bankruptcy every year.
3. Almost 600,000 Washington residents are uninsured, and every year 380 Washington residents die because of lack of proper medical care.
4. Since 1993, employer-based coverage declined from 71% to 66%.
5. In our system, administrative costs account for 30 cents of every health care dollar.

For more facts, click here: Health Care Crisis Facts

We concluded that the current system is inefficient and unfair, and that in order to ensure access to care to everyone when they need it in a way that meets their needs, the system must be reformed. We were reminded that this requires action on the part of all who seek to effect change.

And so, a week later, we put a bit of our knowledge and frustration into action.

ACTION

The following Tuesday - November 25 - a group of organizers from the statewide, grassroots lobbying organization Washington CAN! joined a group of SAGE participants to engage us in outreach to small business owners in the Greenwood business district. We began by learning a bit more about how small businesses are getting hit the hardest by the health care crisis in Washington. The 2006 Northwest Health Gap study found that quality health insurance is out of reach for most small business owners, resulting in over 200,000 small business employees who are uninsured in Washington.

In response to this, Washington CAN! has organized the Small Business for Secure Health Care Coalition. Hundreds of small business owners across the state have joined the coalition, which calls for an American health care solution that ensures that all small businesses and individuals receive affordable, quality health care.

After a brief outreach training that included an overview of basic outreach skills and rap practice, we headed out in groups of 2 to 3 to educate small business owners in our neighborhood and invite them to join the Coalition. Each group visited several businesses, engaged the owners in discussion regarding their experience trying to provide health insurance for their employees, and invited them to sign their name in support of the Coalition's goals.

Upon returning to the Greenwood Senior Center we joined together as a group to reflect on our experiences and congratulate each other on the success of our outreach endeavors: we had collected a total of 5 signatures to add to the Secure Health Care campaign! This represented one significant step toward combating the health care crisis.