It could have a net effect of marginally improving access to care in the individual market and decreasing access to care for Medicaid enrollees,” said Sean Graham from the Washington State Medical Association. That was just one of the concerns with Jay Inslee’s public health care option legislation, which received a hearing in the House last week. Other testimony highlighted a major hurdle in Inslee’s plan – pointing out that Medicaid rates of reimbursement are 50 percent lower than Medicare rates. (Washington State Wire)

Far-left Senators Mona Das (D-Auburn) and Reuven Carlyle (D-Seattle) hope to take extreme Seattle environmentalism statewide. Das is sponsoring a bill that would ban stores from offering plastic bags at checkout. Todd Myers with the Washington Policy Center argues the plastic bag ban is unscientific. “Science from leading environmental researchers demonstrates plastic bags are better for water quality than alternatives, such as cotton reusable bags,” he wrote. (Spokesman-Review)

Seattle city officials opened a severe-weather shelter last night in preparation for freezing temperatures in the coming days. The shelter is at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall and will be open to single adults, ages 18 and up. Thurston County Public Health and Social Services officials plan to issue an advisory increasing shelter capacity at three shelters. (Seattle Times)

The News Tribune, along with The Olympian, printed their last issue in Tacoma on Sunday. Now both papers will be printed by The Columbian newspaper in Vancouver. “It’s the first time we’ve printed outside The News Tribune building,” Editor Dale Phelps said last month. “We write about businesses a lot who have to adapt to the future, and that’s what we’re doing.” (The News Tribune)

The city of Wapato will pay $130,000 to three individuals who accused the city of violating the state’s Public Records Act. While the city agreed to make the payment, they did not admit liability, saying it was “solely for the purpose of compromising a disputed claim.”“(Three) people saw a chance to financially rape our city,” said City Administrator Juan Orozco. “It’s the same people who are requesting over and over.” (Yakima Herald)

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