Sept. 29, 2009

Dear friends and neighbors,

I'm a strong believer in education, not only as someone who works with high schoolers, but also as a police officer. An excellent education jumpstarts our youth to compete in a global economy and helps prevent kids from getting mixed up in a life of crime. That's why it was important to me that I serve on our House Education Committee.

Last week, I participated in Marysville's Legislator's Forum on Education. We discussed education funding, assessments and other things that are important to helping our children succeed. I listened to a colleague talk about the disparity in funding for our schools. His only solutions were to either increase revenue sources (read: tax increase or state income tax) or to cut programs. But there's another way: health care reform.

While I do not support a single payer system or government-run insurance, there are things we can do to inspire innovation, reduce costs and increase access for more Washington citizens to receive our world-class quality health care.

Last month, I attended a meeting in Chicago (at no cost to taxpayers) with 70 representatives from 30 different states. While each state has a different approach to health care reform, we agreed health care costs affect our states’ budgets more than any other budget item. 

Our state is set to spend $5.2 billion on health care alone in our 2009-2011 budget. The federal government is set to spend an additional $4.2 billion on health care in our state. If we could pass meaningful reform that changes the way the state manages its Basic Health Plan, we might be able to free up more taxpayer dollars for education.

A group of legislators and educators this summer and fall has been tasked with finding a better way to fund education. This past year, I supported a proposal to fund education first in the budgeting process, before anything else. In addition, we need to find places in state government where we can do better for the citizens of this state.

It's time for some innovation in the way our state does business. It's time for innovative health care reform and better education funding. I encourage you to read the plan I support for health care reform that could save the state hundreds of millions of dollars every year. I look forward to your comments.  

Sincerely,

Mike Hope
44th District State Representative 

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