KPLU Local News
(2009-08-19)
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OLYMPIA, WA
(N3) -
The White House hasn't called, but lots of reporters from around the country have. That's the word this week from Seattle's Group Health. It's suddenly in the national health care reform spotlight because of the buzz in Washington, D.C. over co-operatives. KPLU's Austin Jenkins explains.
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Group Health provides healthcare and medical insurance to nearly 600-thousand patients in Washington and Idaho. Group Health is a cooperative or co-op. In simple terms that means it's governed by its customers. So you might think Group Health would be beaming with pride now that the co-op model is gaining traction as a possible replacement for the embattled "public option" when it comes to a national healthcare overhaul. But Diana Birkett, Group Health's Director of Public Policy, says it's not that simple.
Diana Birkett, Group Health: "It would actually in Washington state mean a competitor for us, which we're fine with. We compete now and we believe that it's a good model. Which is actually why we're actually a little bit torn about taking a position because there's pros and cons and we don't really know how it would play out for the rest of the country."
Birkett says Group Health is more focused on issues like regional inequities in Medicare reimbursement rates. I'm Austin Jenkins in Olympia. © Copyright 2012, N3
