Camas Washougal Watch

12/4

recently wrote a guest column for the Longview Daily News about how we can protect and create jobs in Southwest Washington. With unemployment at such high levels here in Clark and Cowlitz counties, we need to make sure our local employers have the opportunity to create the family-wage jobs we need. You can read the entire column by clicking here.

Also, I continue to work on behalf of property owners in our communities to ensure a fair process regarding the Bonneville Power Administration's (BPA) proposal to build a new transmission line. With Sen. Zarelli and Rep. Orcutt, I sent a letter to Public Lands Commissioner Peter Goldmark asking that he:

• engage in a discussion with BPA on the potential of a line crossing DNR lands;
• meet with a group of residents from the affected areas to understand their concerns and thoughts on each of the proposed segments; and
• help develop a solution which will have the least impact on homeowners in Southwest Washington.

What we can do as a state to transform our health care system

We have been hearing a lot about the national health care debate in the news. As a state representative and a member of the House Health Care and Wellness Committee, I am watching closely how proposals in Washington, D.C. could affect the people I serve.

There is no question we are facing a health care problem. We need to transform our current system so families and individuals can afford health care, but how we go about it is the key. Too many times we have seen ideas put on the political fast track only to learn later they made the problem worse. I understand the urgency of the times, but it is better to be deliberate and effective, than quick and destructive.

One aspect being ignored at the national level is that states have the ability to make significant health care reforms right now. It is our responsibility as state lawmakers to ensure access to quality, affordable health care for Washington’s citizens. As a fresh voice in Olympia, it baffles me that our governor and the majority party in the Legislature continue to wait for Washington, D.C. to solve Washington state’s problems. I have heard it in committee hearings and from the House floor – leaders in Olympia choosing to wait for a nationally-run health care system, rather than work on real solutions in the present time. Our nation’s capital has a long history of ill-fated health care projects, and who knows if what they pass will benefit our state. Washington state has always been a leader in many public policy areas, but in health care it remains paralyzed at this most critical time.

Now is the time for us to put people before politics and address our state’s health care problems head on. Let me share with you some solutions.

Two primary challenges in our state are sky-rocketing health care costs and uninsured residents. Health care costs for a family of four have nearly tripled since 2000. And it is estimated that 11 percent of Washingtonians do not have health insurance – of which, more than half are young adults. Both are issues we can address immediately, without raising taxes or adding new expensive mandates to families, employers and individuals.

This year, I helped introduce a balanced set of proposals that would increase access, reduce costs and provide quality health care options for Washingtonians. This nine-point plan ensures the freedom to choose health plans approved in other states (not just Washington’s limited, expensive plans), health savings accounts, reasonable choices for small businesses, tax credits for health care plans, core-benefit plans for young adults, incentives for health provider innovation, and billing transparency. Unfortunately, those in power in Olympia opted for the status quo and rejected all but one of these measures.

Given very difficult state budget circumstances, I also joined my House Republican colleagues in recommending state employees (including myself) pay a larger portion of our health care expenses. Everyone is facing higher health care costs and your public representatives should be no different.

We also proposed a plan to reform the state-subsidized Basic Health Plan (BHP) – our state’s health care safety net for those who cannot afford insurance elsewhere. Our strategy would transform the BHP into a program that helps Washington residents pay for health plans of their own choosing. Just because someone has a lower income does not mean he or she should have second-rate health care. We worked to empower them to go into the marketplace and choose a plan that best meets their needs. Our reforms to the BHP would have cut costs to the state – without endangering quality – to the tune of $325 million. Again, not surprisingly, the power brokers in the state’s capital said “no” and defended the status quo, choosing to wait for a government-run system from Washington, D.C.

Our biggest barrier at the state level to affordable health care options is the bureaucrats and others who defend business-as-usual in Olympia. It is time for more action, fewer commissions and leadership.

No one has all the answers on how to reform health care at the national level; it is going to take honest collaboration and a deliberate, transparent process. State leaders need to step up and be part of the answer. I will continue to advocate for quality health care solutions here at home that offer access, increase quality and ensure affordability, while protecting the independent way of life that we hold dear here in Southwest Washington.

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Dear friends,

As our communities celebrated their independence on a beautiful Fourth of July, I reflected on the values on which our country was founded. These ideals of liberty and personal responsibility have brought us unparalleled freedom and prosperity. The 2009 legislative session produced many moments that caused me to pause and consider how our founding values related to the legislation before us. There was much talk of change. But change from what and to what? In a recent opinion piece for The Daily News, I tackled some of these issues: “I have learned that ‘change’ is the most overused word on the campaign trail and, ironically, the most feared word in Olympia. “I support a proposal to bring sustainability and transparency to our budget by: setting a state spending limit; requiring that only gimmick-free budgets be passed; putting more money aside in good economic times; and giving the public and state lawmakers more time to review budgets. “Our state government does not have a revenue problem; it has a spending problem. Until we control state spending, restructure state government and focus on the priorities of education, public safety, transportation, and protection of our most vulnerable, we can expect our serious budget problems to continue. “It’s clear that, more than ever, a balance of ideas is vital in Olympia.

I will continue to work with anyone who wants to put forth solutions for our great state.” To read the entire opinion piece, you can also click here. And you can read other opinion pieces and news releases here. It is an honor to serve the people of Southwest Washington’s 18th District. I will continue to strive for a state government that focuses spending on the highest priorities in a sustainable and transparent way. Please do not hesitate to contact my office at any time if I can be of assistance. Sincerely, Jaime Herrera State Representative