Currently over 600,000 residents in our state do not have health care insurance. EOI is working on a plan to expand health care coverage to many of these people by expanding funding for the Basic Health Plan. This would cover about 70,000 new BHP participants. We have begun the steps toward an Initiative to the People to put this proposal into place. Working with the American Lung Association, the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, and the National Center for Tobacco-Free Kids, we funded a poll to determine popular support for this potential initiative.
Preliminary results look good.
We have also developed draft language for an initiative to the people and we have completed a feasibility study for such an initiative. We are now collaborating with the state and King County on the implementation of the wage and career ladder projects. We continue to serve as a liaison between the state Office of Child Care Policy in DSHS and 125 child care centers in the state pilot. Wage enhancements began retroactive to June 2000. According to Dorothy Gibson, project advocate, The teachers and the center directors are extremely enthusiastic.