The Washington Legislature has begun its 2019 session, which lasts until April 28. Many health care-related bills have been introduced, and there are more to come.

This session, there will be a strong focus on behavioral health – relating to mental health and chemical dependency treatment reform, to address the deficiencies in our state’s systems. Already, many bills have been introduced and Governor Jay Inslee has proposed a package of measures. A recent settlement agreement in the A.B. v. DSHS (Trueblood) lawsuit requires significant funding for diversion efforts, community-based supports, and improvements to the forensic mental health system. The Governor has proposed a 5-year plan that includes: expanding existing community-based providers, designing new community facilities, expanding options for outpatient treatment, increasing housing support for people who are ready for hospital discharge, growing the state’s behavioral-health workforce, renovating state hospitals (including Western State, which was recently decertified) and continuing the integration of behavioral and physical health care.

Another big issue that legislators are hoping to address is the increasingly unaffordable cost of health coverage. There is a new bill to create a “public option” health plan in the Health Benefit Exchange with the goal of improving the affordability of coverage. Features include: a standard plan design for each of the metal tiers, the state contracting with one or more health carriers to offer silver and gold level plans on the Exchange, capping provider payment at Medicare rates, and developing a plan for supplementing ACA premium subsidies at the state level.

We are eagerly awaiting bills to extend coverage to those currently left out, particularly for immigrants who do not qualify for the same coverage as citizens, and reproductive health access for immigrants and LGBTQ individuals. Bills that move toward universal coverage are being introduced too. Learn more about these efforts at a forum on January 26th featuring key state legislators, along with national and local leaders. The forum is presented by the Health Care Is a Human Right – WA Coalition; NoHLA is a proud co-sponsor.

The bill to ban “surprise billing”  for medical services is back, sponsored by 18 House members and 15 Senators, by request of the Insurance Commissioner. We hope this sensible legislation to take consumers out of the middle of payment arrangements between insurers and providers will pass this year.

Here is a calendar of the deadlines for each stage of the state legislative process.

Watch for NoHLA updates on legislation relating to health care access as the session continues.

NOTE: For latest news on the 2019 Legislative Session, see NoHLA’s Legislative Update page and click on the most recent update.