But another major issue drawing the attention of legislators and employers alike is employee health care costs. In a recent survey of employers who belong to the Association of Washington Business, 65 percent said the cost of health care was the most important issue facing them today.
More than half a million employers, employees and their families in Washington depend on association health plans for affordable coverage. However, they could lose that coverage because regulatory overreach by the state Office of Insurance Commissioner (OIC) could devastate association health plans.
To prevent that, Substitute Senate Bill 5605 would preserve association health plans by clarifying the limits of the OIC’s reach, allowing these health care plans to continue operating as they do today, under state and federal laws.
SSB 5605 was approved with significant bipartisan support in the Senate by a vote of 38-11. It deserves to move forward in the House in order to preserve affordable health care coverage for more than 500,000 employees and their families.
To preserve affordable health care coverage, make your voice heard – urge your state representative to support SSB 5606.
On another front, employers should be encouraged by efforts to continue reforms of the state’s workers’ compensation system. In 2011, Republican and Democrat lawmakers came together to pass a set of historic reforms, and this year three additional bills have been introduced to further stabilize the financial health of the state fund and reduce the pressure on the Department of Labor & Industries to raise taxes by $1.1 billion over the next 10 years, as the agency has planned.
Of the several bills proposed this session, Senate Bill 5127 offers the strongest opportunity for immediate reform. Currently, an injured worker in Washington can settle a claim, but only if the worker is age 55 or older. No other state workers’ comp system has such a restriction on when an injured worker may pursue a settlement – and workers’ comp costs in those states are lower as a result.
SB 5127 would remove the age limit and bring Washington in line with all other 49 states. The Senate approved this bill 30-19, also with bipartisan support. Yet, it faces an uphill battle in the House, where leadership has indicated publicly they will not even give the bill a hearing.
Contact House Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, and urge him to allow a vote on SB 5127. When Washington employers are weighed down by regulatory burdens no other state has, it puts us at a disadvantage we can’t afford – especially in today’s weak economy.
As we continue to struggle to emerge from the recession, lawmakers should be working to cut costs for employers and reduce regulatory burden, not increase them.
It is halftime in Olympia – and that means it’s time for employers to get in the game: Pick up the phone or send a quick email and tell your elected representatives how these bills will impact your ability to provide jobs in southwest Washington.
Don Brunell is the president of the Association of Washington Business (AWB). Formed in 1904, the association is Washington’s oldest and largest statewide business association, and includes more than 8,000 members representing 700,000 employees. For more about AWB, visit www.awb.org.
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