Olympia Business Watch

Rewind: Video of AG McKenna's remarks on health care, gang violence

Attorney General Rob McKenna was the guest at Thursday's Lobby Lunch meeting, which just happened to be the day that the Florida judge ruling on one of the health-care law challenges issued a new ruling. Listen to McKenna explain the judge's decision, and why he agrees with it.

McKenna also spoke about Washington's growing gang violence problem, and his plan to address it. In the first video, he describes the problem in detail, offering some alarming statistics: Washington ranks fourth in the nation in drive-by shootings, and has experienced a 45 percent increase in gang-related shootings in the last 12 months.

In this video, McKenna outlined how House Bill 1126 would address the problem.

McKenna praises health-care ruling that prods Obama administration

Attorney General Rob McKenna agrees with today's order from U.S. District Court Judge Roger Vinson to temorarily stay his his earlier ruling declaring the federal health-care law unconstitutional, saying the case needs to get before the Supreme Court as quickly as possible.

Vinson issued a temporary stay of his own ruling Thursday, provided that the administration file an appeal requesting an expedited review of the case. In other words, Vinson granted a stay on the condition that the Department of Justice stop stalling, McKenna told AWB's Lobby Lunch.

"I agree with him," said McKenna, who joined the 26-state suit challenging the health-are law on behalf of the state of Washington. "I have been astounded that they have not filed an appeal."

Gov. Chris Gregoire, who is at sharp odds with McKenna over the health-care law, also agreed with Vinson's decision, saying in a statement that it will allow implementation of the law to go forward while his decision is reviewed.

Gov. Gregoire's Keynote Remarks at AWB's 2011 Legislative Day

(Recorded: Feb. 03, 2011) Gov. Chris Gregoire’s keynote remarks at AWB's annual Legislative Day luncheon. Topics include unemployment insurance, workers' compensation, state employee pensions and education.

Livestream: Health Care Panel

Video chat rooms at Ustream

Federal judge rules health-care law unconstitutional

A federal judge in Florida ruled today that key components of the Obama administration's health-care overhaul are unconstitutional and the entire law must be declared void.

The 78-page ruling from U.S. District Judge Robert Vinson sides with 26 states, including Washington. Attorney General Rob McKenna, who joined the lawsuit on behalf of Washington residents, issued a statement calling the ruling a victory for individual and state rights.

"While we recognize the vital need to access health care services in our country, forcing all U.S. citizens to buy a commercial product in the private market with their own money is an unprecedented and unconstitutional move by the federal government," McKenna said. "Americans value their constitutional rights. They want a health care law that respects those rights and actually reduces the financial burdens on their families. That is why more than half of the states in America are challenging the law."

The states are suing to block the law over its mandate that individuals must purchase health insurance by 2014 or face penalties. 

Gov. Chris Gregoire said she was disappointed by the ruling, which she said is "not good for Washingtonians."

The case now goes to the U.S. Court of Appeals, but will likely end up ultimately in the U.S. Supreme Court, possibly next year.  

Want to reduce joblessness? Boost the private sector

The best way to reduce the nation's troubling jobless rate is for federal officials to stop adding costly new programs such as health care and cap-and-trade and allow tax cuts put in place during the previous administration to continue, AWB President Don Brunell writes in his weekly column.

The president and congress should forget about massaging the small business tax incentives because they don't come close to matching the new costs imposed by Congress and the president over the last two years.

At the state level, tax incentives work - and they have for a long time," Brunell writes. The Economic Assistance Authority, passed by the Legislature after the Boeing crash 40 years, worked well and the 1995 sales tax exemption for new machinery and equipment has proven to be a success, as well.

"The point is taxes and costs matter," Brunell writes. "Without a vital private sector, there is no hope of reversing the current trend toward long-term unemployment with no jobs in sight."

Is there time to avert a national healthcare trainwreck?

It will be a while until the new national health-care law takes full effect, but already there are warning signs that a national train wreck is looming unless Congress and the Obama administration take steps to avert it, AWB President Don Brunell writes in his weekly column.

In Massachusetts, which served as the national model for the law, citizens are increasingly realizing that it's cheaper to pay small fines than carry insurance, he writes. The number of people gaming the system there has quadrupled from 2006 to 2008.

"The situation in Massachusetts has been called a train wreck," Brunell writes. "If the same thing happens nationwide, the private insurance industry will go bankrupt and cease to exist."

Already, large insurance companeis are seeking rate increases to cover the cost of the new health-care reform benefits and employers - including McDonald's and 3M - have announced plans to scale back or drop coverage in the face of rising expenses.

"Is repeal the only answer or can the law be fixed? I'm not sure anyone knows at this point," he writes.

Policy Summit on TVW

We were fortunate to again partner with TVW on this year's  Policy Summit. The public affairs network will be airing several of events from the 2010 Policy Summit, including:

• Monday, Sept. 27 @ 7 p.m. and 10p.m. (2011 Legislative Update)
• Tuesday, Sept. 28 @ 2 a.m., 5 a.m. and 4 p.m. (2011 Legislative Update);  8 p.m. and 11 p.m. (Health Care - What Next?)
• Wednesday, Sept 29 @ 8 a.m., 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.  (Health Care - What Next?)
• Thursday, Sept. 30 @ 7:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. (Health Care - What Next?)
• Friday, Oct. 1 @ 4:30 a.m., 4:30 p.m.  (Education Panel)
• Saturday, Oct. 2 @ 4:30 p.m. (Education Panel); 10 p.m. (Dinner program with Gary Langer)
• Sunday, Oct. 3 @ 11 a.m. (2011 Legislative Update); 1:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. (Gary Langer)

Turner: Health-care reform is law, not settled policy

Congress passed the mammoth health-care reform law in March, but its future is more uncertain than ever.

"This is the law," Grace-Marie Turner, president of the Galen Institute, told attendees at today's Policy Summit at Semiahmoo. "None of us have any option but to comply. But it is not settled policy. There is a lot that's already happening and a lot that will be done in the future to alter this legislation."

Changes to the law are certain, especially if one or both houses of the U.S. Congress regain Republican majorities in the November election.

"One thing I can guarantee is that this legislation will be changed," said Turner. "It may be changed a lot. It may be changed a little. It may happen sooner. It may happen later, but it's going to be changed."

Turner, a noted advocate for market-based health-care solutions, recalled her involvement in fighting a similar health-care reform law championed by Insurance Commissioner Debra Senn and enacted by the Washington State Legislature in 1993. The law had numerous unintended consequence including nearly wiping out the individual health insurance market. Turner lamented the fact that the federal government ignored Washington's experience when it cobbled together the current health-care law.

"If Washington, D.C., had just learned from your experiences, we wouldn't be in this mess because you know what happens when you had an incredible series of market-distorting mandates that really crippled your health sector," Turner said.

AWB Institute: Manufacturing and Distribution Summit (Part Two)(Video)

Greg Weeks, Ph.D. (Director of Labor Market & Economic Analysis, Employment Security Department)