Healthcare

passed · Washington · House Jan 12, 2026

HB 2041: Concerning postpartum coverage.

HB 2041 concerns postpartum health care coverage for residents of Washington state. Until June 30, 2026, the bill requires the state to provide 12 months of continuous postpartum health care coverage to individuals with incomes up to 210% of the federal poverty level. After this date, the continuous postpartum coverage period will be six months, maintaining the 210% income threshold. The bill also directs the state to prioritize maximizing federal funding for eligible individuals and mandates annual reporting from managed care organizations on maternal health services.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExtends postpartum health coverage from 6 to 12 months (until 2026) for low-income individuals, expanding access to health services and insurance coverage.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Healthcare

Track

passed · Washington · House Jan 12, 2026

HB 1430: Concerning advanced practice registered nurse and physician assistant reimbursement.

HB 1430 requires health carriers in Washington state to reimburse advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants at the same rate as physicians for providing identical health care services. This mandate applies to health plans issued or renewed starting January 1, 2026, excluding those offered to public employees. Health carriers are prohibited from decreasing physician reimbursement rates to meet this requirement. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner will collect data on the implementation, including rate changes and costs, and report to the legislature by July 1, 2027. This section does not apply to advanced practice registered nurses or physician assistants who are employees of a health maintenance organization.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates equal reimbursement for APRNs/PAs vs physicians, improving access to care by removing financial barriers for providers and patients.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Healthcare

Track

signed · Washington · Senate May 20, 2025

SB 5807: Concerning wellness incentives for public and school employee health benefit plans.

Senate Bill 5807 modifies the wellness programs offered through public and school employee health benefit plans. The bill discontinues the "smart health program," including its wellness incentive and online portal, for these employees, effective January 1, 2028. While employees who meet eligibility requirements for an incentive by December 31, 2027, will still receive it in the 2028 plan year, no new wellness incentives can be earned after that date. The legislation shifts the focus to broader wellness initiatives that emphasize preventative health strategies.

Topics ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareBill discontinues wellness incentives in public/school employee health plans, restricting access to wellness program benefits effective 2028.85% confidence ✗ Labor & EmploymentOpposes Labor & EmploymentBill discontinues wellness incentives for public/school employees, removing a benefit that employees could earn through health programs.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Healthcare

signed · Washington · Senate May 20, 2025

SB 5388: Concerning department of corrections behavioral health certification.

Senate Bill 5388 revises how behavioral health services, including substance use disorder treatment, are regulated for individuals in Washington state correctional facilities. Rather than requiring these services to be licensed by the Department of Health (DOH), the bill shifts to a monitoring process. The Department of Corrections (DOC) and DOH will jointly establish standards for these services, which the DOH will then monitor through annual inspections for compliance. The DOC must implement these standards by July 1, 2027, with DOH beginning annual inspections and providing technical assistance from that date forward.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill revises behavioral health oversight in prisons to improve treatment access, aligning with rehabilitation-focused criminal justice reform by shifting to joint standards with annual monitoring.85% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill establishes joint DOC-DOH standards for behavioral health services in prisons, ensuring continued access to mental health/substance use treatment through monitoring, not licensing, strengthening care delivery.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Healthcare

signed · Washington · Senate May 20, 2025

SB 5568: Updating and modernizing the Washington state health plan.

This bill updates and modernizes the Washington state health plan by revising the duties of the Office of Financial Management (OFM) regarding health planning. It designates OFM as the coordinating body for strategic health planning and expands its access to various health care data sources, such as the all-payer claims database, to inform its efforts. OFM is now required to develop a statewide health resources strategy, in coordination with stakeholders, to establish policies and goals for health care facility and service availability, quality, and cost by geographic region. The bill also updates definitions for various health facilities, including changing "psychiatric hospitals" to "behavioral health hospitals."

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill modernizes health planning by designating OFM as coordinator, expands data access for strategic planning, and mandates statewide health resources strategy development to strengthen system coordination and resource allocation.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Healthcare

signed · Washington · Senate May 20, 2025

SB 5101: Expanding access to leave and safety accommodations to include workers who are victims of hate crimes or bias incidents.

SB 5101 expands existing Washington State protections for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking to also include employees who are victims of hate crimes or bias incidents, or whose family members are victims. The bill allows these employees to take reasonable leave from work, which can be intermittent or on a reduced schedule, with or without pay. This leave can be used for reasons such as seeking legal assistance, medical treatment, counseling, or engaging in safety planning related to the hate crime. Employers are required to provide reasonable safety accommodations and may ask for verification of the incident and the need for leave.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill provides leave for medical treatment and counseling, directly enabling access to healthcare services for victims of hate crimes.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentExpands workplace leave protections to include hate crime victims, strengthening worker safety rights and access to accommodations under Labor & Employment policies.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Healthcare

signed · Washington · House May 19, 2025

HB 2051: Concerning payment to acute care hospitals for difficult to discharge medicaid patients.

HB 2051 concerns payments made to acute care hospitals for Medicaid patients who are medically ready for discharge but cannot easily be moved to another care setting. The bill directly affects these hospitals and the Medicaid patients requiring extended care. It reenacts and amends RCW 74.09.520 to establish or modify the payment structure for the care of these specific patients. This aims to address the challenges hospitals face when patients are difficult to discharge.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareModifies Medicaid payment structure to ensure hospitals receive proper reimbursement for medically ready but difficult-to-discharge patients, improving care continuity and hospital financial stability for Medicaid services.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Healthcare

signed · Washington · House May 19, 2025

HB 1811: Enhancing crisis response services through co-response integration and support.

Substitute House Bill 1811 aims to enhance crisis response services in Washington state by integrating and supporting "co-response" teams. The bill formalizes co-response as a multidisciplinary partnership between first responders (like law enforcement and EMTs) and human services professionals (such as social workers and behavioral health clinicians). These teams respond to emergency situations, including 911 and 988 calls, involving behavioral health crises and complex medical needs. The goal is to de-escalate situations, divert individuals from the criminal justice system, and provide immediate medical and behavioral health care in the field, benefiting vulnerable populations.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill replaces police-only crisis response with co-response teams (social workers + EMTs), reducing criminalization of mental health crises and aligning with reform goals to divert from traditional law enforcement handling.90% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareIntegrates behavioral health clinicians into co-response teams for mental health crises, enhancing crisis services and aligning with mental health support indicators.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Healthcare

signed · Washington · House May 19, 2025

HB 1392: Creating the medicaid access program.

House Bill 1392 establishes the Medicaid Access Program in Washington state, directly affecting health carriers and Medicaid managed care organizations. The bill implements an annual "covered lives assessment" on these entities, with specific per-member-per-month rates, to fund the program. Implementation of these assessments and the program is conditional upon federal approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, along with state appropriation certifications and contract amendments.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesImplements annual assessment on health carriers to fund Medicaid program, increasing state revenue for essential healthcare services.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill creates Medicaid Access Program funded via assessments on health carriers to expand coverage, directly advancing healthcare access and funding as per summary.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Healthcare

signed · Washington · House May 17, 2025

HB 1382: Modernizing the all payers claim database.

HB 1382 modernizes Washington's statewide all-payer health care claims database, which collects medical and pharmacy claims data from various public and private health care payers. The bill updates reporting requirements and data disclosure standards for this database, aiming to improve transparency in health care costs and quality. It revises the process for selecting and overseeing the "lead organization" responsible for managing the database, allowing the Health Care Authority to either act as the lead or select one through a competitive process. Additionally, it specifies criteria for the lead organization and outlines entities, such as health plans or hospitals, that are ineligible for the role. The bill also details responsibilities for data vendors who collect and process the claims information to ensure data quality and security.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareModernizes claims database to improve healthcare cost/quality transparency, directly advancing healthcare data accessibility and quality oversight per bill summary.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Healthcare