May 17th marks the 20th anniversary of health care reform in Washington State. On that day in 1993, the Washington State Legislature adopted a comprehensive reform of health insurance markets and health care delivery and finance. Although most of the more “robust” provisions of the state reform law were repealed two years later, Washington retained…
From time to time, reaction to my blog reminds me that the public perception of lawyers as advocates and guardians of democracy has been poisoned by television and the latest legal outrage. That’s a pleasant way of saying that people do not hold attorneys in high esteem – sometimes for good reason, sometimes not. Nearly…
Let me start by noting without doubt that my Irish roots were proven once again in my recent attempt at a short vacation. I do indeed have the “luck of the Irish” that proves my green blood. My wife surprised me with a one week castle tour of Ireland to celebrate both my birthday and…
On Thursday February 28, while the state Senate was hearing legislation to require the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) to defer to the federal government on matters relating to treatment of associations as large group plans under ERISA, the Commissioner was unveiling his new rate and form filing instructions. Parenthetically, these instructions are not rules subject to…
Good Grief! I don’t know how SSB 5605 managed to survive in the state Senate this far. Watching the testimony and reading the reports about the legislation reminds me of the old Abbott and Costello classic baseball comedy routine “Who’s on first?” (I already told you I was oldish.) With so much misinformation, any senator in…