Healthcare

in committee · Washington · House Jan 12, 2026

HB 1864: Transporting patients by ambulance to facilities other than emergency departments.

HB 1864 requires health plans issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2026, to cover ground ambulance transport to non-emergency facilities like urgent care clinics, mental health centers, or substance use disorder programs. It amends existing laws to mandate this coverage for behavioral health emergencies (effective January 1, 2025) and establishes reimbursement rules for medical assistance programs. The bill directly affects health insurers, ambulance services, and patients seeking non-emergency care. It creates a policy change ensuring coverage for transport to these facilities without requiring prior authorization for emergency situations.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates health plans to cover ambulance transport to mental health/substance use facilities, expanding insurance coverage and improving access to non-emergency care for behavioral health services.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Hospitals Mental Health Substance Abuse Tags Public Safety

Track

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

Sub-Topics Medicaid Medicare

in committee · Washington · House Jan 12, 2026

HB 1404: Increasing student access to free meals served at public schools.

HB 1404 expands access to free school meals in Washington state by removing income-based eligibility requirements. It mandates that all public school students who request a meal receive it at no cost, regardless of family income, to address food insecurity and support academic success. The bill amends several education funding statutes (including RCW 28A.235.135 and 28A.235.160) to align meal access with this new policy. It directly affects every public school student in Washington, ensuring no child experiences hunger during the school day. The policy change replaces previous tiered eligibility systems with universal free meals for all requesting students.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesMandates universal free school meals requiring state budget reallocation to fund all students' meals without income restrictions, directly increasing public service funding.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationExpands free meal access for all students regardless of income, directly addressing food insecurity to support academic success and amending education funding statutes.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands free school meals to address food insecurity, a public health issue, aligning with healthcare support indicators through improved nutrition access for students.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Student Health

Track

in committee · Washington · Senate Jan 12, 2026

SB 5704: Concerning material changes to the operations and governance structure of participants in the health care marketplace.

SB 5704 requires health care entities in Washington to notify the attorney general and health care authority about major mergers, acquisitions, or contracting arrangements. This aims to prevent anticompetitive outcomes that could reduce access to affordable, quality care - particularly for reproductive, end-of-life, gender-affirming, and rural health services. The law mandates review of these transactions to ensure communities maintain or improve access to essential services, with specific protections for marginalized groups affected by past consolidation. It supplements federal antitrust rules by expanding reporting requirements for transactions below federal thresholds.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates reviews of healthcare mergers to prevent reduced access to essential services like reproductive and rural care, ensuring communities maintain access to quality care.85% confidence

Track

in committee · Washington · Senate Jan 12, 2026

SB 5100: Standardizing basic training and certification requirements for long-term care workers who provide in-home care for their family members, including spouses or domestic partners.

SB 5100 would require family members providing in-home long-term care for relatives (such as spouses, parents, siblings, or grandparents) to complete specific training hours before starting care. It sets different requirements: 12 hours for parents of developmentally disabled children, 15 hours for spouses/partners, and up to 35 hours for others, all within 120 days of hire. Training must include safety, orientation, and care-specific modules, with some hours needed before care begins. This applies to workers previously exempt from certification, while maintaining exemptions for professionals like nurses and certain respite caregivers. The bill is pending legislative action and would standardize training previously not required for these family caregivers.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRequires standardized training for family caregivers, improving care quality and safety in in-home healthcare services, aligning with healthcare service standards.92% confidence

Sub-Topics Long-Term Care

Track

in committee · Washington · House Jan 12, 2026

HB 1238: Creating an advisory council on rare diseases.

HB 1238 creates a 12-member advisory council within the University of Washington School of Medicine to address rare disease challenges in Washington. The council advises the state health secretary on research, diagnosis, treatment, and education, directly impacting the estimated 30,000 Washington residents living with rare diseases (affecting fewer than 200,000 people nationally). Key provisions require balanced geographic representation (east/west Cascades), include patient advocates and medical experts, and mandate biennial reports starting in 2026 on improving care access, diagnosis, and public awareness. The council will develop strategies to coordinate disease prevalence studies, identify effective treatments, and recommend a centralized online resource for patients and caregivers, without overriding local health authority during outbreaks.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareCreates advisory council to improve rare disease research, diagnosis, treatment and education, directly enhancing healthcare services for 30,000 Washington residents with rare diseases.90% confidence

Track

signed · Washington · House May 17, 2025

HB 1162: Concerning workplace violence in health care settings.

HB 1162 requires all health care settings in Washington to develop and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan to protect their employees. These plans must address factors such as physical security, staffing patterns, employee training, and procedures for reporting violent acts. The bill mandates annual reviews and updates of these plans and requires health care settings to conduct timely investigations into every workplace violence incident. Findings from these investigations, along with incident data, must be regularly summarized and submitted to a relevant workplace committee to identify systemic causes and recommend plan modifications.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates workplace violence prevention plans for healthcare settings, directly protecting medical professionals and supporting healthcare service delivery as defined in the topic.90% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentRequires healthcare safety plans, training, and investigations to protect employees from workplace violence, directly improving workplace safety protections.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Workplace Safety

in committee · Washington · House Jan 12, 2026

HB 2078: Expanding access to medical cannabis consultants and department of health compliant cannabis product.

House Bill 2078 seeks to expand access to medical cannabis and related services in Washington state. The bill allows licensed cannabis processors to obtain a medical cannabis endorsement, enabling them to sell Department of Health-compliant cannabis products directly to qualifying patients and their designated providers. This endorsement also permits both cannabis retailers and processors to provide cannabis at no charge to these individuals. Overall, the bill aims to increase the availability of medical cannabis options for registered patients.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill expands direct access to Department of Health-compliant medical cannabis products for qualifying patients, improving patient access to healthcare services under public health compliance.85% confidence

Track

in committee · Washington · Senate Jan 12, 2026

SB 5504: Supporting caregivers who provide complex care services to children with heightened medical needs.

SB 5504 would allow Washington Medicaid to pay family caregivers (parents, guardians, or close relatives) for providing complex medical care to children under 18 with high medical needs, as part of existing private duty nursing coverage. To qualify, caregivers must complete 75+ hours of training from an accredited home health agency, receive RN supervision, and work through a licensed home health agency. The bill requires the state health authority to seek federal approval for this payment change by December 2025 and report on feasibility by January 2026. It expires December 31, 2026, and directly affects families caring for medically fragile children covered by Medicaid.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands Medicaid coverage by funding family caregivers for complex pediatric care, directly increasing access to medical services for children with high needs through state health program.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Medicaid

Track

passed · Washington · Senate Mar 12, 2026

SB 5240: Concerning anaphylaxis medications in schools.

Senate Bill 5240 allows public and private schools in Washington to maintain a supply of epinephrine, including autoinjectors, for use in emergencies. Licensed health professionals can prescribe this medication in the school's name, accompanied by a standing order for administration by school nurses or trained personnel. The bill clarifies that epinephrine can be administered to students experiencing anaphylaxis, even if they do not have a personal prescription on file, and extends its use to field trips and school buses. It also provides liability protection for those involved in prescribing and administering the medication.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill protects student health by enabling schools to administer epinephrine for anaphylaxis emergencies without personal prescriptions, ensuring safe learning environments.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareAllows schools to stock epinephrine for anaphylaxis emergencies without individual prescriptions, improving immediate access to life-saving treatment in schools.95% confidence

Track