OLYMPIA – Focusing on improving health care access and long term care planning for our aging generation, Rep. Steve Tharinger, D-Dungeness, sponsored legislation that addresses the health care system in our state.
“Washington state is a leader in developing programs to let people age in place,” said Rep. Tharinger. “We need to address the issues around our aging population head on. Otherwise we’re going to have some very serious, long-term problems that are going to cost the state a lot of money in the future.”
HB 1531 allows clients and families to rely on someone they know and who already has an established relationship with their family member to provide intermittent personal care or respite care. Access to intermittent respite care provides temporary relief to families caring for people with disabilities or chronic or terminal illness.
HB 1132 is a government efficiency bill that addresses home care facilities and fees charged on owners. In exceptional circumstances, such as death of a loved one, this bill allows for the transfer of a home care facility license to a surviving spouse without paying a fee. By allowing this transfer, more home care facilities will continue to operate without undue financial burden during stressful times.
HB 1045 expands health care access, providing more options to patients, by establishing the East Asian Medicine Advisory Committee to oversee standards and practices. It also removed outdated forms in order to expand care access to patients that otherwise would be unduly burdened by a separate primary care visit just to be able to see an acupuncturist, for example.
All three bills passed the House and Senate without amendments and will be sent to Governor Inslee for his approval.