Some liberal activists think so.
They are proposing an initiative to the legislature in Olympia to create a fully socialized, single-payer health care system. That means no more private health insurance, according to Initiative 245 s supporters. As they put it, once the system is in place, there won t be much of a market for private insurance in Washington state. If initiative supporters gather enough signatures this fall, the legislature must consider their plan in January and either make it law, or put it on the November ballot in 2001. The stakes are high.