Washington Health Insurance

How healthy is living in Washington?

If you live in Washington state you should feel pretty good -- literally.

In the newest rankings of the healthiest states in which to live, Washington state places a solid #12 (tied with Wisconsin).

Out of the 20 criteria used in determining the order, Washington places in the top ten in four:

• Only four states have lower percentages of smokers.
• Only four states have fewer occupational fatalities.
• Only three states have fewer children living in poverty.
• Only three states have fewer preventable hospitalizations.

Washington's worst rankings are in availabilty of good prenatal care and immunization of children.

The state has made significant progress in the number of children living in poverty, moving from 21st place in 2006 to 4th in 2007 (as noted above).

See the United Health Foundation's latest findings on Washington.

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Does Washington have a risk pool for the uninsurable?

Washington State Health Insurance Pool
Toll-free 1-800-877-5187

Risk pools are state-sponsored programs to help people with a history of medical problems in their family to purchase coverage. These pools are for people who can afford to buy health insurance, but are not able to get underwritten in the private market because of a pre-existing health condition. These programs can vary significantly from state-to-state in price, benefits and number of people served. Often insurance companies doing business in the state are required to contribute to the poolto keep it in the black. In the best cases they allow people to be able to switch jobs or become self-employed without the fear of losing their health insurance coverage. Find more on risk pools here.

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Cover The Uninsured's guide on finding health insurance in Washington

Cover The Uninsured is a national effort to highlight the fact that too many Americans are living without health insurance and to demand solutions from our nation's leaders. Read more information on its efforts. It is a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

• Cover The Uninsured's facts on the uninsured in Washington.
• Its guide on how to find health insurance in Washington.
• Materiales En Español -- Guías para encontrar cobertura de seguro de salud.

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Georgetown University's Guide to Health Insurance in Washington

Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute has researched and written state-by-state guides for finding and keeping health insurance. It updates these guides as federal and state policies change. A number of non-profit organizations contribute to funding its research. Find more on the Health Policy Institute.

• Georgetown's guide for Washington.

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News headlines on Washington health insurance

Find the most recent headlines on health insurance in Washington at Google News or Yahoo News.

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Want single-payer health care? Concerned about the uninsured?
Contact your elected officials about health care issues

Contact your federal officials. Phone calls are best. Faxes are good, too. Since 9-11 postal mail creates long delays, and many members of Congress simply do not take e-mail seriously -- however, since e-mail is so easy it doesn't hurt to do that, too. Members of the Senate and Congress will usually ignore any correspondence that is not from their district, so its not desirable to blanket e-mail them (this type of abuse is why many do not view it favorably). The Electronic Frontier Foundation has a guide on how to contact your elected officials, including a valuable list of dos and dont's.

• Contact the White House
  Phone: toll free 1-800-671-7887 (ask for the Comment Line)
  FAX: 1 202-456-2461 (fax)
  E-mail:comments@whitehouse.gov
  
  
• Find contact information on your U.S. Representative
  Locate by using your ZIP Code
  Or if you know who your representative is, simply call the Capitol Switchboard toll-free at 1-800-962-3524

• Senator Maria Cantwell
  PHONE: 202-224-3441 (DC office)
  FAX: 202-228-0514 (DC office)
  Local offices
  Contact by E-mail

• Senator Patty Murray
  PHONE: 202-224-2621 (DC office)
  FAX: 202-228-0776 (DC office)
  Local offices
  Contact by E-mail
  
  

Contact your state officials:

• Washington Governor Chris Gregoire
  PO Box 40002
  Olympia, WA 98504-0002
  PHONE: (360) 902-4111
  FAX: (360) 753-4110
  Contact by e-mail
  
  
  
• Contact your Washington Legislators

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USNews health insurance rankings for Washington

US News does an annual ranking of what it considers the best health insurance plans in each state. Visit its reports on various health insurance or medical insurance plans being offered in Washington.

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Official State Goverment Sites with Washington Health Insurance Information

Consumer publications from Washington State's Office of the Insurance Commissioner -- includes many downloadable PDF guides on buying different types of health insurance.

Find out if you qualify for government-sponsored medical benefits -- six questions to determine whether you may be eligible for free medical services.

Washington State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) -- many families can get free or low-cost health insurance for their kids. A family of 4 with gross income up to $4,303 month may be eligible.