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NEWS ADVISORY May 13, 2004 EFF hires former legislator to run Health
Care Reform Project OLYMPIA – The Evergreen Freedom Foundation is pleased to welcome former State Representative Cheryl Hymes to serve as its new Health Care Reform Project director. Hymes served as Vice-Chair of the House Health Committee during her time in the legislature. She is the current Chairman of the Board of Directors for Chinook Enterprises (Mount Vernon, WA), and Secretary of the Board of Directors for the Skagit County Crisis Pregnancy Center (Pregnancy Choices). In the 1980s Cheryl worked in Minneapolis, Minnesota analyzing medical utilization and claims data to produce physician practice profiles. She is a graduate of the University of Nebraska. "Finally there is some good health-care related news to report for employers and employees," said Hymes. "A new federal law gives tax advantages and more control to individuals who choose ‘consumer-directed health plans, like Health Savings Accounts or HSAs.' It's about time." Hymes' first priority is a project entitled "Choose Your Medicine: The Facts about Health Care Economics." The project will help small to mid-sized employers understand the advantages of consumer-driven health plans and the new law. "The campaign could not have come at a better time," said Hymes. "There is a lot happening in Washington D.C. right now that employers and employees in Washington state will like. It's time for these innovative health benefit opportunities to be made widely available in our state. The key to making that happen lies in the unleashing of market demand. EFF plans to help employers do just that." This fall, EFF will be hosting an updated series of community meetings
around the state to give employers a chance to learn about "consumer
directed health benefits" and what they can do to see if this is an
option that would be right for their workforce. Contact: Booker Stallworth | Communications Director | 360.956.3482
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1 Part Honesty; 2 Parts Arrogance At a March 23, 2005, House Appropriations hearing on a bill to gut the voter-approved I-601 spending limit, Rep. Jim McIntire (D) asked a supporter of I-601’s two-third supermajority requirement for the legislature to raise taxes the following question: "Can you name a time when we [legislators] have actually not just set it [supermajority requirement] aside by majority vote? I mean, this is in many respects a procedural motion that has no bearing. It’s a statutory constraint that cannot constrain any legislature that chooses as a majority to set it aside . . . have we ever used a supermajority [to raise taxes]?" - Rep. Jim McIntire (D - 46) Despite the arrogance of some state officials, Washington's constitution is clear: "All political power is inherent in the people..." |
