Tumwater, Wash. — Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler, joined by consumer advocates, state labor officials, legislators, and retired public employees, unveiled today a series of reports showing, by county, that the Washington health care system and the insurance-buying public subsidizes over $318 million in uncompensated care per year.

“Each and everyone of us pays for the over $318 million in uncompensated care,” said Kreidler. “We pay for it in taxes, in medical costs, and in our insurance premiums and we will continue to pay unless we do something today about the rising uninsured.”

There are nearly 550,000 men, women and children in Washington who don’t have insurance coverage. Every year, hospitals, clinics, physicians and others provide “free” or reduced cost services to some of these people.

The reports include a county-by-county breakout of the number of uninsured, the cost of uncompensated care and how three possible legislative proposals known as “Pooling Risk, Reducing Costs,” “Care for Kids” and “Washington Fair Share” could lower the cost of uncompensated care by $77 million and reduce the number of uninsured by over 200,000.

“If we all look to the greater good, we can begin to buck a national trend that is swelling the ranks of the uninsured and wreaking havoc in the health care system to the tune of millions and millions of dollars – money that is coming from the pockets of everyone,” Kreidler said. “As you can see from our reports, this is real money – your money – and the numbers are only projected to grow.”

Regional reports:

North Sound (Island, San Juan, Skagit, Whatcom)
West Balance (Clallam, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Klickitat, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Skamania, Wahkiakum)
King
Other Puget Sound Metro (Kitsap, Pierce, Snohomish, Thurston)
Clark
East Balance (Adams, Asotin, Chelan, Columbia, Douglas, Ferry, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman
Spokane
Yakima/TriCities (Benton, Franklin, Yakima)
Map of Washington