Last Thursday, the Legislature adjourned after a fast and furious 60-day legislative session. Many bills passed and await Governor Inslee’s signature. Even more bills failed to make it through the arduous legislative process. NoHLA applauds the Legislature’s passage of the Reproductive Parity Act (SB 6219), a state preventive health services coverage bill (HB 1523), improvements to charity care notification (SB 6273), and a program to provide state subsidies for Exchange coverage for low-income immigrants from the COFA islands (Palau, Marshall Islands and Micronesia) (SB 5683). Unfortunately, many bills failed to pass, including legislation to protect consumers from “surprise billing”, provide health coverage to “Dreamers” up to age 26, create more transparency around prescription drug costs, and stabilize costs in the individual insurance market. NoHLA will continue to advocate for consumers on these critical issues.

Many stakeholders will closely watch the approved transition of behavioral health purchasing from the Department of Social & Health Services to the Health Care Authority.

Among the many health care access bills, the Legislature also passed bills and budget provisions to:

• Cover hearing aids for adults on Medicaid and public employees
• Expand the Access to Baby and Child Dentistry program to include children with disabilities through age 12
• Increase the Personal Needs Allowance for people in residential and institutional care settings
• Extended state-funded financial help for incapacitated individuals who are unemployable primarily due to alcohol or drug addiction; this includes medical coverage for those ineligible for Medicaid
• Allow foster youth to remain in the same health plan for a year after reuniting with parents
• Provide midwifery and doula services for incarcerated pregnant and postpartum women
• Provide coverage in “bare” counties through the state high risk pool in 2019, and by requiring insurers that offer public and school employee coverage to also offer individual coverage through the Exchange
• Require that a person’s medical records be provided free of charge when needed for a Social Security Disability or SSI appeal
• Improve access to and quality of treatment for mental and behavioral health conditions in a variety of ways (at least nine bills)
• Update Health Benefit Exchange statutes.

Our sincere thanks to the many legislators and advocates who championed these bills. See NoHLA’s latest Legislative Update for detailed information on over 30 bills. We will also be releasing a legislative summary in the coming weeks.