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Washington Insurance Commissioner: ACA Here to Stay

Washington insurance commissioner Mike Kriedler is happy with the number of people who have signed up for medical insurance or qualified for Medicaid in the state. Kriedler says prior to authorization of the Affordable Care Act, it was estimated there were a million people in Washington without health insurance.

He says "we're looking at about 50,000 more people being insured now through the commercial market". Kriedler adds, "there are 300.000-400,000 being picked up by Medicaid, so I think we will have 25 percent reduction in the uninsured.”

Although you may have heard higher figures for those signing up for state insurance plans, Kriedler says some of those did have insurance they lost because the insurance did not meet the strict guidelines of the Affordable Care Act.
 
Kriedler believes that despite the political outcry over the ACA, there is little likelihood of it being rescinded.

Kriedler: “The ACA here is going to stay. We have 7 million people now nationally who have health insurance. Its here, it’s going to stay. The Republicans would grab that like a third rail and get burned.”
 
Kriedler says he believes it will take another year or two to get the uninsured rate down to 6 percent of the state’s population.

Steve was part of the Spokane Public Radio family for many years before he came on air in 1999. His wife, Laurie, produced Radio Ethiopia in the late 1980s through the '90s, and Steve used to “lurk in the shadowy world” of Weekend SPR. Steve has done various on air shifts at the station, including nearly 15 years as the local Morning Edition host. Currently, he is the voice of local weather and news during All Things Considerd, writing, editing, producing and/or delivering newscasts and features for both KPBX and KSFC. Aside from SPR, Steve ,who lives in the country, enjoys gardening, chickens, playing and listening to music, astronomy, photography, sports cars and camping.
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