OLYMPIA — On March 4, State Sen. Jan Angel, R-Port Orchard, passed four measures to protect insurance consumers, reduce local government costs, help treatment of drug abuse and inform assisted suicide patients of care options.
The first of the measures, a bipartisan consumer protection bill to help guarantee insurer solvency, passed unanimously in the Senate after Angel introduced a solution to last year’s contention over the issue.
“After the financial meltdown, it became clear that consumers weren’t being protected by current oversight of insurers,” said Angel. “Beginning last year, we brought all the stakeholders to the table to reach a solution that ensures the continued stability of the insurance industry and holds Washington to the highest national standards.”
Senate Bill 5717 would update state insurer holding company laws to meet increased national standards for accreditation. Without this action, the state Office of the Insurance Commissioner would lose accreditation at the end of this year.
Angel also successfully secured unanimous passage of Senate Bill 5458 to eliminate duplicate services by public health districts and their local jurisdictions. To take advantage of this option, a district first must receive consent from the county legislative authority, treasurer and auditor as well as the district’s board of health.
“This is a government efficiency bill that will save our local counties and health districts a lot of money,” said Angel. “By making this simple fix, we can show how we can work together to reduce the cost of government in a smart, bipartisan way.”
The third measure to pass unanimously was Senate Bill 5027 which would help in treating drug abuse by expanding use of the state Prescription Monitoring Program to allow clinical laboratories access to it under the direction of a health care professional. Patient data would be kept secure and the program would be provided without charge.
A bill to require more information about care options be provided to assisted-suicide patients under the state’s Death with Dignity law also passed the Senate. Senate Bill 5919 would update Washington’s Death with Dignity law to ensure patients are aware of comfort care, hospice care, pain control, treatment for the purpose of cure, and treatment for the purpose of extending the patient’s life
“This is a very simple measure that would simply affirm to terminally ill patients that there is always hope,” said Angel. “Patients deserve to know all feasible alternatives before deciding to end their life. These decisions shouldn’t be made as a result of fear or a loss of hope.”
