Drafter
Clerk 07/20/2009
Title
A MOTION urging the 111th Congress of the United States to enact comprehensive health reform in 2009.
Body
WHEREAS, King County through its agencies including the Seattle-King County department of public health is charged with protecting and improving the well-being of one million eight hundred thousand residents of King County, and
WHEREAS, in 2007, 12.6 percent of King County adults under age sixty-five were uninsured and many more were underinsured, and
WHEREAS numerous studies show that every year our current health care system delivers poorer quality care to fewer people at increasingly higher cost, and
WHEREAS, these conditions are being faced everyday by more currently insured King County families in the form of higher premiums and deductibles, and
WHEREAS, these conditions increasingly threaten the both insured and the uninsured in the form of compromised health, mental illness and financial destitution, and
WHEREAS, a health safety net in King County provides health services to people who are uninsured or underinsured or who have difficultly accessing health care and is comprised of county-owned and operated public health centers, private not-for-profit community health centers, and many other private providers, and
WHEREAS, King County provided health services to over one hundred twenty thousand clients through its public health centers in 2007, and
WHEREAS, all parts of the health safety net are financially challenged, and
WHEREAS, the public health operational master plan (PHOMP) establishes a four-year goal for King County of increasing access to affordable, quality health care through, in part, advocating for health care system reform, and
WHEREAS, the PHOMP establishes a four-year goal for King County to increase the financing stability for public health through, in part, advocating for health care financing reform, and
WHEREAS, in Resolution 08-10 the King County board of health found that health care reform is necessary to build a well-functioning health care system and to achieve the long-term goals of the PHOMP to increase health and well-being of the people of King County and to reduce health disparities, and
WHEREAS, in Resolution 08-10 the board of health adopted six principles for health reform designed to lead to good health outcomes for the people of King County, and
WHEREAS, King County is an employer and self-insured provider of health insurance to its thirty thousand employees and their dependents and includes in its insurance coverage evidence-based reform of health care delivery and wellness and prevention programs, and
WHEREAS, King County is a co-founder of the Puget Sound Health Alliance, a partnership of employers, physicians, hospitals, patients, and health plans working together to improve health care across the region, and
WHEREAS, King County is constitutionally obligated to provide health services to inmates at its correctional facilities, and
WHEREAS, King County operates the King County regional support network, providing services to over thirty-four thousand people experiencing mental illness in 2008, and
WHEREAS, King County owns Harborview Medical Center, a level one trauma center serving a five-state region, and
WHEREAS, King County is a member of the National Association of Counties, and
WHEREAS, the National Association of Counties's 2009 key legislative priorities includes health system reform that restores the partnership between the federal government and counties, as summarized in it adopted report Restoring the Partnership for American Health: Counties in a 21st Century Health System, and
WHEREAS, the National Association of Counties is coordinating with counties across the nation in support of national health reform;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
A. The metropolitan King County council urges the 111th Congress of the United States to enact comprehensive health reform legislation in 2009 that focuses on restoring the partnership between the federal government and counties and achieves good health outcomes by incorporating the King County board of health's six principles for health reform:
1. Access for all. All people have access to affordable, comprehensive health care services on an equitable basis. All individuals are able to access the right care in the right place at the right time;
2. Quality health care. All health care is clinically appropriate and provided in a timely, safe, and patient-centered manner;
3. Financially sustainable. Health care financing is designed and allocated so as to provide permanent, stable, and sufficient funding for quality health care;
4. Responsive to patients and communities. Health services delivery systems are responsive to the needs of the communities they serve. Community members collaborate with health care systems to ensure the delivery of appropriate quality health care services;
5. Focus on health promotion and disease prevention. The best investments are those that prevent disease and promote good health in the most cost-effective manner; and
6. Focus on achieving health equity. Health services delivery and financing systems employ strategies, policies, and interventions aimed at achieving health equity.
B. The metropolitan King County council urges Congress to include in any health
reform measure funding for a strong and stable public health infrastructure, which is necessary to achieving the best health outcomes at the least cost.