A final tax bill has been negotiated by conference committee and initial details began emerging yesterday. Action is expected in the Senate as early as Monday. A conference committee may have been moot if not for a significant mistake; in the fervor of last minute promises and handwritten changes, Senate Republicans failed to check their work and mistakenly eliminated...Continue reading→

According to folklore, kids who misbehave get a lump of coal on Christmas morning instead of a present. While Congressional Republicans assuredly deserve that lump of coal, we’re hoping advocates get the gift of Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) reauthorization. Congress avoided a government shutdown last week when they approved a two-week funding bill. They...Continue reading→

Our state’s annual health care quality report, the Community Check-up, was released last week and identified gaps in care. Unfortunately, an insurance card doesn’t necessarily mean access to care or access to quality care. The latest report from the Washington Health Alliance compares clinics, medical groups, hospitals, counties and Accountable Communities of Health on common...Continue reading→

Congress got waylaid in its protracted efforts to take down the ACA, causing it to move directly to the tax bills. Meanwhile, families, clinics and states are wondering what will happen to them if Congress doesn’t reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the Community Health Center Fund, both of which expired September 30th....Continue reading→

We are almost one month into Open Enrollment for individual health insurance! In the first two weeks, Washington’s HealthPlanFinder reported a 58% increase in enrollments over the same time period last year. To encourage enrollment, HealthPlanFinder has shopping tips, including the new Smart PlanFinder tool, to help consumers select a plan. There is also a...Continue reading→