2005 Seattle Elections

General Elections Voters' Guide

Health Care Advisory Ballot Measure - Complete Text

Complete Text of Advisory Measure No. 1

AN ORDINANCE submitting an advisory ballot measure concerning health care to the qualified electors of the City of Seattle, at the general election to be held on November 8, 2005; calling upon the City Clerk to certify the proposed measure to the Director of Elections of King County; and requesting the Director of Records and Elections to submit the measure to the qualified electors.

WHEREAS, the Seattle City Council recognizes that it is increasingly difficult for many Seattle residents to obtain quality health care; and

WHEREAS, providing access to quality health care has moved the Seattle City Council to adopt Resolutions 30673 and 30582, both aimed at addressing health-care issues for citizens of the City of Seattle; and

WHEREAS, an estimated 11 percent of adults in Seattle do not have health insurance; and

WHEREAS, the number of uninsured children in Washington state has reached the highest level in more than a decade; and

WHEREAS, an estimated 50 percent of Washington state residents do not have dental insurance or rely on Medicaid for coverage; and

WHEREAS, Seattle's community health centers and public health primary care clinics have a common mission to provide treatment for individuals regardless of their ability to pay; and

WHEREAS, in 2003, Seattle-based community health centers reported that 37 percent of patients for medical care and 42 percent of dental patients were uninsured or did not have the means to pay for their treatment; and

WHEREAS, as the costs of providing health and dental care continue to increase, Seattle's community health centers and public health primary care clinics struggle to provide uncompensated care; and

WHEREAS, the lack of a rational system for funding and providing universal access to quality health care has led to a rapid increase in health-care costs in the United States, which now has the world's highest per-capita health-care costs; and

WHEREAS, despite these high costs, the United States lags behind many other developed nations in terms of many indicators of its citizens' health, including life-expectancy and infant mortality; and

WHEREAS, rising health-care costs have affected employers' ability to provide health-care benefits for their workers and have sharply increased the costs of doing business; and

WHEREAS, the costs to the City of Seattle of providing health-care benefits to its employees has risen while City revenue has not kept pace; and

WHEREAS, only a rational system for financing and delivering quality health care will help ensure that all Americans have access to these necessary services at a cost that is reasonable to them and to their employers, including the City of Seattle; and

WHEREAS, at least eighteen states have introduced legislation regarding universal health care including California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, New York and Vermont; and

WHEREAS, concerted action is necessary to encourage the United States Congress and other decision makers to design and fund a rational health care system;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF SEATTLE AS FOLLOWS:

UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE ADVISORY

The current health care system is under great strain. The cost of health care increases annually at three to four times the rate of inflation.

An estimated 11% of the citizens of Seattle have no health insurance at all. Low-income adults are 10 times more likely to lack coverage than those of higher incomes. The fastest growing segment of the uninsured are the poorest families, those earning less than the federal poverty level (FPL). In all, over 60% of the uninsured are low income. Despite the rising number of uninsured children and adults, the rate of employer-based insurance continues to decrease. The percentage of people insured through their employers dropped to its lowest point in over 10 years - 60.2%. Children are significantly affected. In Washington State, there are now over 95,000 uninsured children or 5.8% of the state's children. While the United States has the wealthiest health care system in the world it is unable to ensure basics like pre-natal care and immunizations. The U.S. trails most of the developed world on such indicators as infant mortality and life expectancy. Widely differing proposals are being discussed to address the crisis in U.S. health care. This advisory ballot makes no judgments upon these various efforts. It serves only to provide the residents of Seattle with an opportunity to speak with a unified voice in advising the City of Seattle to take concerted action to help ensure that every person in Seattle and, ultimately, the United States as a whole, has equal access to quality health care.

As such, do you agree that the voters give the following advisory to the Mayor and City Council members of the City of Seattle:

Every person in the United States should have the right to health care of equal high quality. The Congress should immediately enact legislation to implement this right.

The City should also take the necessary steps to help realize this right for Seattle residents and others, including but not limited to the following:

• Ask Washington State representatives and senators in the U.S. Congress to adopt legislation that provides universal access to quality health care.
• Ask the Washington State legislators to support our efforts and work toward this goal.
• Support education of the public about this issue and support advocacy on this issue.
• Research ways that the City Council can improve health care access for the uninsured.
• Compile data and publish an annual report on local health care indicators including information on access to health care.
• Convene a panel of experts to prepare a report and make recommendations to the City about specific steps the City and Seattle private employers could take to improve insurance coverage for Seattle residents.