02/07/2006: "MedVac Bill Moves Forward"

With the Senate voting 47 to 0 in favor, the Sen. Harriet Spanel bill has passed in the Senate, and yesterday was referred to the House Financial Institutions & Insurance Committee. The Bill was introduced by Spanel in the Senate, and by Representative David Quall in the House, to make private air ambulance companies that solicit membership to be exempt, under certain conditions, from insurance licensing. The "certain conditions" are such that the net effect will be the resumption of MedVac flights

As reported in The Guardian (Previous Story), there was a ruling by the State Insurance Commission that the selling of subscriptions for the possible future use of a MedVac service was a form of insurance. This ruling resulted in the cancellations of MedVac flights in San Juan County, and in other areas of the state as well. As a result of strong opposition to the ruling, Spanel introduced a bill that would exempt the selling of subscriptions from the Insurance Commission ruling.

At the local level, Former County Commissioner, John Evans, former Orcas EMS Director, Garth Eimers, and San Juan County Prosecuting Attorney Randy Gaylord, went to Olympia last month to urge the Senate to approve the bill