Matt Ready

11/8/2013 update:  Near final count is in.  I am now ahead 402 votes and they tell me:  I win!  Thanks again to everyone who did anything to support me.  This has been an incredible experience.  I will work to make everyone proud to have me as a hospital commissioner!

11/6/2013 update:  I am currently ahead 202 votes.  There are probably about 2000 ballots still to arrive in the mail.  The next count will happen Friday around noon.  Thank you so much to everyone who supported me!  I needed every single one of you to get to this point!  A few more days of waiting to see perhaps a definitive result.

My name is Matt Ready and I am running for Hospital Commissioner in East Jefferson County Wa.

I am running for Hospital Commissioner to improve healthcare in our community. If you want to hear me talk about why I am running, please sit back and watch this video from our final public forum:

Why Am I Running?

The spark that inspired me to run was witnessing the suffering of a dear friend who could not get adequate medical services due to cost barriers.  I’ve since learned that 1 in 7 people in Jefferson County did not receive medical attention in the last year due to cost.  Nationwide, 1 in 3 people delay seeking medical care due to costs.  Once I clearly saw this access barrier and realized how many other people in our community wrestled with it on a regular basis,  I simply could not remain idle.   I am running for hospital commissioner because I know I can help our district better address this challenge and all the healthcare challenges impacting our community.

What about charity care and the Affordable Care Act?

Despite the district charity care program and the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, affordable access will remain a problem.  Thousands of people in our county will continue to be either uninsured or underinsured.  We cannot proceed with blinders on to the reality of the healthcare costs that people face.

The District Can Innovate Locally and Advocate for Universal Healthcare at the State and National Level

I will challenge our hospital district to explore every avenue to create innovative programs and policies so that no one in our community fails to get medical care due to cost. A handful of communities around the country, including San Francisco, Howard County Maryland, and Snoqualmie Valley Hospital District- have all dared to create innovative affordable healthcare solutions. We can follow the same type of collaborative problem solving path. Our solution won’t be identical to those programs. But there are options. We can do better.

In addition, I will use my position as hospital commissioner to relentlessly lobby, educate, and advocate for single payer/universal healthcare. Single Payer/ universal healthcare is the only solution that will bring some sanity to our healthcare costs and finally make our healthcare system affordable and accessible for every person. We need every hospital commissioner of every public hospital district to become educators and advocates for this sensible and vital solution to our country’s healthcare predicament.

We Need To Address All Healthcare Gaps In Our Community

In addition to an access problem, our community also has service gaps.  Our community needs expanded services for mental health and chemical dependency care.  As we plan new programs and new facilities, we must ensure we are taking actions that best meet our community’s health needs- not merely actions that maximize profits.  Our district’s true profit is the health of the community.

The lack of attention on healthcare access, mental health, and chemical dependency care is a symptom of a board that is not seeing the needs of its community as well as it should. I will work to ensure we perform a thorough community needs assessment to see what the true health care gaps are in our community. I will make sure we work with the community to create an ambitious Community Health Improvement Plan and I will ensure it is fully implemented.

I know I can make a difference and help improve healthcare in our community if you give me the opportunity to serve as hospital commissioner.  I hope you will give me that chance.

How Can You Help?

If you have a club, community group, or any type of organization in Eastern Jefferson County, then I am more than willing to drop in on one of your events for an in person discussion of these ideas.  You can also make a monetary donation to my campaign here.

To contact me about any of this, please email me at readyforhealthcare@gmail.com, fill out my contact form, or call me at:  360-477-1447.

If you would like to learn more, please visit my Frequently Asked Questions page, watch the video interview of me below, or just contact me.

If you would like to help support my campaign, please make a donation and or fill out our contact form.

Thank you so much for visiting- and don’t forget to vote!

9/24/2013 Update:  (Video) Watch the Hospital Commissioner Forum at the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce

7/8/2013 Update:  (Video) Candidates Matt Ready and Savannah Hensel ask the Hospital Commissioners to make access a top strategic priority.