State budget crisis: It's time to protect what matters

 Our union is working with the Washington Hospital Association and other healthcare groups on advertisements that will tell the public about state budget proposals that will slash health care funding in the current state budget by more than $1 billion.

Proposed cuts include the Basic Health Plan, General Assistance-Unemployable, chemical dependency programs, and a reduction in hospital reimbursement rates, and others.

These cuts will devastate our healthcare safety net, leaving patients, mental health clients, hospitals, and our communities without the care they need. Without access to these resources, many patients won’t get care at all, or will get it at a significantly higher cost in their local emergency room. Many mental health clients will cycle into crisis and end up in jail. Others will end up homeless.
 
Our hospitals will face overcrowded emergency rooms, reduction in hospital services, and potential job losses.

These critical healthcare programs save our state money by providing cost-effective, timely treatment. Cutting these programs won’t save our state money – we’ll pay more in the long run, in both human costs and financial impact.
We’re asking legislators to find altnernate solutions to an all-cuts budget. We need a solution that includes new revenues. During tough economic times, we need healthcare now, more than ever.

Watch the ad here: