1. Increase public knowledge of the health care safety net and the public programs that support it,

2. Demonstrate the value and importance of the health care safety net and the public programs that support it,

3. Promote public awareness of the health needs of Washington State residents, and

4. Educate the public on the role of the health care safety net.

Read the Coalition's latest report:

It's Not Too Late: 

I-773 Revenues Can Increase Access to Care for Washingtonians

Read more:

Legislature: A healthier state, Seattle PI, February 11, 2007
Health-care solution: It's Basic, The Seattle Times, January 14, 2007

Spokane Public Radio, November 20, 2006

In 2001, voters overwhelmingly approved I-773, which raised the tobacco tax both as a deterrent to smoking and as a way to handle the impact of tobacco use on the public health system.  Hundreds of millions of dollars have been raised since then, but it has not resulted in an increase in access to health care as voters intended.  The Working For Health Coalition commissioned a study to gain a better understanding of what happened, and what can be done to follow through on this voter mandate. 

This report contains the findings of the study, which analyzed the effectiveness of the funding mechanism, the number of uninsured in Washington now compared to if the law had been enacted as written and recommendations to implement the initiative as voters originally intended.