Today, NoHLA’s Emily Brice testified in House Appropriations in favor of HB 1508, one of the bills supported by Fair Health Prices Washington that would expand the authority of the Health Care Cost Transparency Board to improve health care affordability by holding health entities accountable for high prices. Other bills supported by Fair Health Prices Washington legislation include:

• WA Safe & Healthy: SB 5236, which would lower patient caseloads and mandate overtime, meal, and rest breaks for health care workers, scheduled for executive session of Senate Ways & Means tomorrow.

• Fair contracting: Earlier this week, Senate Ways & Means heard SB 5393, which would prohibit certain anti-competitive contracting practices between insurers and large health systems that use their market leverage to increase prices. 

• Keep Our Care Act: Senate Ways & Means also heard SB 5241 which would empower the Attorney General to review the impact of proposed mergers, contracting affiliations, and consolidations between hospitals, health systems, and provider organizations and consider whether there will be an effect on health care access for marginalized communities and essential services.  

• Prescription Drug Affordability Board: HB 1269 wasn’t in a fiscal committee this week because it has already been referred to the House Rules Committee. The bill would improve the Prescription Affordability Board (PDAB) by increasing the number of drugs subject to its oversight, speeding up the timeline for affordability reviews and upper payment  limits, and removing pharmaceutical representatives from the PDAB’s advisory board.

Other bills we’re watching: 

• Essential Health Benefits: Sen. Cleveland’s SB 5338, which would direct OIC to review the state’s “essential health benefits” and potentially request federal approval to update these standard benefits offered in individual and small group health insurance. 

• Maternal health expansion: Sen. Muzzall’s maternal health bills, SB 5580 and 5581. The former would expand eligibility for pregnancy/postpartum Apple Health from 193 to 210% FPL, among other measures. The latter would direct OIC to evaluate strategies to expand coverage for prenatal care without cost-sharing. Other abortion access proposals are discussed here.

• Dental therapy: Rep. Riccelli’s HB 1678, which seeks to expand access to oral health care by creating a new dental health aide therapist (DHAT) license in FQHC and FQHC look-alikes based on the existing DHAT practice in Tribal settings. 

• Language access: Sen. Saldaña’s SB 5304, which would restore DSHS’ language access and testing certification program, which provides a critical pipeline for language interpreters and translators in health care settings.

• Prior authorization: Rep. Simmon’s HB 1357, which would establish uniform prior authorization processes for state-regulated health plans and Apple Health.

• Behavioral health: Many bills that address behavioral health access issues, including: Rep. Orwall’s HB 1134 enhancing the state’s new 988 behavioral health crisis line, Sen. Dhingra’s SB 5120, establishing 23-hour crisis relief centers, and Rep. Macri’s HB 1515, requiring HCA to change behavioral health service standards in Apple Health contracting.

We’ll share more next time on key budget priorities, like the Health Equity for Immigrants Campaign!