NoHLA is engaged in two issues important to health care consumers and calls for action by policymakers on:

• addressing the high cost of prescription drugs and 
• improving the process for sanctions on managed care organizations (MCOs) that are violating the terms of their Medicaid contracts.

To support reducing the cost of pharmaceuticals, NoHLA and 20 other advocacy organizations sent a letter to Governor Jay Inslee calling for improvements to the Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB) that was created in the last legislative session.

The letter cited recent survey results that showed half of Washington respondents worry about affording the cost of prescription drugs. This has a disproportionate effect on people of color who report higher rates of rationing medication due to cost compared to white respondents. The polls also found widespread bipartisan political support for government action to address prescription drug affordability. The letter asked the Governor to take the lead on this issue and ask the Health Care Authority (HCA) to introduce legislation that would strengthen PDAB. 

In a letter to the HCA, NoHLA expressed support for new rules to impose sanctions for violations by the state’s managed care organizations (MCOs). The reason is simple: there is “a troubling lack of accountability when MCOs fail to uphold basic tenets of Medicaid.”  In particular, there are “repeated failures of MCOs to properly determine medical necessity” that result in “inappropriate coverage denials and lengthy delays as enrollees are forced to appeal MCO decisions that are misaligned with Medicaid law.”

NoHLA is supporting HCA clarifying its authority to impose sanctions for violations with proposed amendments to the Washington Administrative Code (WAC 182-538 -140 and WAC 183-538-070) that will streamline sanctions and enable better compliance.

Read the prescription drug affordability letter or the MCO sanctions letter.