Bill aims to stabilize market for individual health policies. (Washington State Legislature)

Dyer's proposal would restrict enrollment period

Rep. Phil Dyer, the Issaquah Republican who chairs the House Health Care Committee, this week introduced controversial legislation aimed at stabilizing the market for health insurance purchased by individuals.

The bill includes a yearly one-month open-enrollment period designed to encourage individuals to buy health insurance before they need it. This could ensure that carriers have enough premium dollars to pay claims for the unhealthy without losing so much that they must raise rates drastically.

Dyer is the only lawmaker this year to propose major health-care legislation. But even if his bill becomes law, it's questionable whether the policies that insurers market to individuals, as opposed to groups, will have much left that's worth preserving. …