When 6-year-old Kaiser Whittaker broke his leg last year jumping on a trampoline, his parents’ first priority wasn’t taking him to the emergency room. Instead, it was more important to give him medicine to prevent any possible internal bleeding. Then, they rushed him to the hospital.
Kaiser has hemophilia, which means his blood doesn’t clot easily. Kaiser’s dad, Jed, said what’s most worrisome about this type of medical disorder is something they can’t see: If Kaiser falls and hits his knee hard on the concrete, for example, Jed’s concern immediately centers on the chance of internal bleeding.
“It’s a stressful reality for me and my wife,” Jed said.
Protecting Washingtonians against that uncertainty is why Gov. Jay Inslee and legislators passed the nation’s first public health care option.
“We should not be cautious and conservative on this,” Inslee said. “We should be bold and energetic.”
Inslee convened health care leaders, legislators, elected leaders and stakeholders in Seattle Wednesday to discuss the first steps of implementing Cascade Care, an effort that will be led by the Exchange.
Read the rest of the story on the governor's Medium page.