Bill by bill, Democrats are trying to create a stable state health-insurance system
Health-insurance bills are surfacing in
Sen.
How the individual mandate would be enforced is an outstanding question because
If Cleveland's bill passes this session, it will rely on taxpayers to opt in. That doesn't mean a penalty for not having health insurance won't happen. The bill directs the
There is some consternation about how the mechanics of an individual mandate and its enforcement would work.
"Without an enforcement mechanism, we aren't optimistic that people will voluntarily elect to purchase coverage," Jones said.
Cleveland said she understands figuring out enforcement will be difficult, but stressed that the state needs to do all it can to make sure as many people as possible are insured, and that the insurance market is stable. "We just can't afford to lose ground," she said. "The whole goal of health reform was to keep people well."
Since the Washington Health Benefit Exchange began in 2013, the number of uninsured people has dropped from 14 percent to 5.8 percent in 2015, the last year numbers are available.
Ensuring the stability of the market is what drove Cleveland to introduce another bill from the
Another bill hits on the national debate about health care and immigration. Senate Bill 6225, sponsored by Sen.
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