48.44.309 - Legislative finding. - Washington Statutes

Legislative finding.

The legislature finds and declares that there is a paramount concern that the right of the people to obtain access to health care in all its facets is being impaired. The legislature further finds that there is a heavy reliance by the public upon prepaid health care service agreements and insurance, whether profit or nonprofit, as the only effective manner in which the large majority of the people can obtain access to quality health care. Further, the legislature finds that health care service agreements may be anticompetitive because of the exclusion of other licensed forms of health care and that because of the high costs of health care, there is a need for competition to reduce these costs. It is, therefore, declared to be in the public interest that these contracts as a form of insurance be regulated under the police power of the state to assure that all the people have the greatest access to health care services.

[1983 c 286 § 1.]

Notes: Severability -- 1983 c 286: "If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected." [1983 c 286 § 5.]