The Washington Legislature has reached the half-way mark in the 2025 legislative session. March 12th marked an important “cut-off” date – the deadline for bills needed to pass out of their originating chamber. Bills that didn’t make this deadline are “dead” for the session, unless they are allowed to take longer because they are considered “necessary to implement the budget.”

Many bills are advancing that would impact health access, affordability, and equity. Below we have listed many of the bills that NoHLA is monitoring – note that this is not a complete list of all health-care related bills.  For simplicity, we have listed the original bill number, but many of the bills have been modified from their original forms with substitute versions or other amendments. Some bills also have companion versions that were introduced in the other chamber that are not listed. 

Notable bills that are still moving include: 

• Public insurance coverage programs
  • HB 1813 – Concerning the reprocurement of medical assistance services, including the realignment of behavioral health crisis services for medicaid enrollees
  • SB 5124 – Establishing network adequacy standards for skilled nursing facilities and rehabilitation hospitals.
  • SB 5128 – Concerning medical services for individuals in juvenile detention facilities
  • SB 5577 – Concerning medicaid coverage for HIV antiviral drugs. 
  • SJM 8002 – Concerning Medicare.
  • SJM 8004 – Concerning Universal Health Care.
• Affordability
  • SB 5083 – Ensuring access to primary care, behavioral health, and affordable hospital services, related to affordable health coverage for public & school workers. 
  • SB 5480 – Protecting consumers by removing barriers created by medical debt.
  • SB 5661 – Concerning exemptions from garnishment, related to debt including medical debt. 
• Transparency & health system planning
  • HB 1382 – Modernizing the all-payer claims database. 
  • HB 1686 – Creating a health care entity registry. 
  • SB 5122 – Enacting the uniform antitrust premerger notification act. 
  • SB 5493 – Concerning hospital price transparency.
  • SB 5568 – Updating and modernizing the Washington state health plan.
• Reproductive care
  • HB 1215 – Removing references to pregnancy from the model directive form under the natural death act. 
  • HB 1291 – Concerning cost sharing for maternity services. 
  • HB 1971 – Increasing access to prescription hormone therapy.
  • SB 5093 – Concerning dignity in pregnancy loss. 
  • SB 5498 – Concerning contraceptive coverage, related to allowing 12-month fills of contraception. 
  • SB 5557 – Codifying emergency rules to protect the right of a pregnant person to access treatment for emergency medical conditions in hospital emergency departments.
  • SB 5632 – Refinements to the “Shield Law,” protecting the confidentiality of records and information that may be relevant to another state’s enforcement of its laws. 
• Long-term care
  • HB 1142 – 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 5200 – Concerning veterans’ medical foster homes.
  • SB 5291 – Implementing the recommendations of the long-term services and supports trust commission.
  • SB 5337 – Creating a certification for memory care services. 
  • SB 5672 – Delaying the home care aide certification requirements. 
  • SJR 8201 – Amending the Constitution to allow the state to invest moneys from long-term services and supports accounts.
• Disability care
  • HB 1130 – Concerning utilization of developmental disabilities waivers.
  • HB 1669 – Concerning coverage requirements for prosthetic limbs and custom orthotic braces. 
  • SB 5232 –  Supporting economic security by updating provisions related to the home security fund and the essential needs and housing support program.
  • SB 5394 – Reducing the developmental disabilities administration’s no-paid services caseload services.
  • SB 5680 – Establishing a right to repair for mobility equipment for persons with physical disabilities.
• Behavioral health
  • HB 1427 – Concerning certified peer support specialists. 
  • HB 1432 – Improving access to appropriate mental health and substance use disorder services. 
  • HB 1811 – Enhancing crisis response services through co-response integration and support.
  • SB 5338 – Concerning department of corrections behavioral health certification.
  • SB 5361 – Delaying the use of the ASAM 4 criteria, treatment criteria for addictive, substance related, and co-occurring conditions.
  • SB 5696 – Concerning the sales and use tax supporting chemical dependency and mental health treatment programs
• Public health
  • HB 1186 – Expanding the situations in which medications can be dispensed or delivered from hospitals and health care entities. 
  • HB 1531– Preserving the ability of public officials to address communicable diseases. 
  • HB 1720 – Expanding the types of medication assistance that may be provided to residents of community-based care settings.
  • SB 5240 – Concerning anaphylaxis medications in schools.
  • SB 5244 – Providing an exemption for women, infants, and children program staff to perform hematological screening tests. 
  • SB 5455 – Concerning the administration of the Andy Hill cancer research endowment.
• Patient rights
  • HB 1287 – Addressing the disclosure of health information for care coordination.
  • HB 1296 – Promoting a safe and supportive public education system.
  • SB 5181 – Amending the parents rights initiative to bring it into alignment with existing law. 
• Private insurance coverage
  • SB 5084 – Concerning health carrier primary care reporting.
  • SB 5351 – Ensuring patient choice and access to care by prohibiting unfair and deceptive dental insurance practices.
  • SB 5331 – Strengthening consumer protection through increased insurer accountability for violations of the insurance code. 
• Insurers and providers
  • HB 1009 – Adjusting the membership of the pharmacy quality assurance commission.
  • HB 1114 – Respiratory care interstate compact. 
  • HB 1430 – Concerning advanced practice registered nurse and physician assistant reimbursement. 
  • HB 1589 – Concerning the relationships between health carriers and contracting providers.
  • HB 1706 – Aligning the implementation of application programming interfaces for prior authorization with federal guidelines. 
  • SB 5118 – Updating the requirements for the clinical experience license for international medical graduates. 
  • SB 5579 – Prohibiting health carriers, facilities, and providers from making any public statements of any potential or planned contract terminations unless it satisfies a legal obligation.

Some bills did not survive the cut-off, but may still be under consideration if Legislators deem them “necessary to implement the budget” include: 

• HB 1392 – Creating the Medicaid Access Program. 
• HB 1416 – Increasing tobacco and vapor products taxes. 
• HB 1466 – Increasing the biennial funds contribution in lieu of state funds from the hospital safety net program.
• HB 1472/SB 5393 – Closing the Yakima Valley school and Rainier school.
• HB 1560/SB 5638 – Funding health care access by imposing an excise tax on the annual compensation paid to certain highly compensated hospital employees.
• HB 1785 – Imposing a surcharge on publicly traded companies providing excessive executive compensation.
• HB 1805 – Creating a local sales and use tax to fund services for children and families that enhance well-being, promote mental health, and provide early interventions.  
• HB 1870/SB 5709 – Concerning county property tax levies for public health clinic purposes.
• SB 5762 – Increasing the statewide 988 behavioral health crisis response and suicide prevention line tax. 

We also expect additional revenue-related bills to be introduced in the weeks to come. 

Many bills did not advance this session, in part due to budget constraints that posed challenges to bills that required state implementation costs. However, because Washington has a two-year legislative cycle, “dead bills” have an opportunity to be considered again next session. Here are some of the health-related bills that have died for this year’s session: 

• Public insurance coverage programs
  • HB 1093/SB 5507 – Providing coverage for massage therapy under medical assistance plans.
  • HB 1444 – Concerning rapid whole genome sequencing (in medical assistance programs).
  • HB 1455/SB 5233 – The Washington Health Trust, establishing a universal health care system for Washington State. 
  • HB 1482 – Assuring equity in health coverage, related to health coverage for undocumented immigrants. 
  • HB 1521/SB 5504 – Supporting caregivers who provide complex care services to children with heightened medical needs.
  • HB 1523/SB 5344 – Establishing the essential worker health care program. 
  • HB 1583 – Concerning medicaid coverage for traditional health care practices.
  • HB 1603 – Requiring guaranteed issue of medicare supplemental coverage to an individual who voluntarily disenrolls from a medicare advantage plan and enrolls in medicare parts A and B.
  • HB 1639 – Requiring entities offering medicare advantage coverage in Washington to provide certain disclosures to consumers
  • HB 1743 – Enhancing opportunities for community-based providers to provide health care services in carceral settings.
  • HB 1754 – Requiring medicare supplemental insurance to be offered on a guaranteed issue basis during an open enrollment period.
  • SB 5031 – Concerning health care coordination regarding confined individuals.
  • SB 5258 – Implementing state auditor recommendations for reducing improper medicaid concurrent enrollment payments.
  • SB 5642 – Improving performance on maternal health and preventative cancer screening metrics for medicaid clients.
• Affordability
  • HB 1675/SB 5387 – Concerning the corporate practice of health care. 
  • HB 1881/SB 5704 – The Keep Our Care Act, concerning material changes to the operations and governance structure of participants in the health care marketplace. 
  • SB 5243 – Restricting use of health premiums for lobbying. 
• Transparency and health system planning
  • HB 1076 – Concerning the health technology assessment program. 
  • HB 1262/SB 5228 – Updating the governor’s interagency coordinating council on health disparities. 
  • HB 1567 – Concerning licensure of hospital administrators. 
• Reproductive care
  • HB 1072 – Preserving access to protected health care services.
  • HB 1176 – Concerning greater consistency in the provision of health care services for minors under the age of 17.
  • SB 5075 – Concerning cost sharing for prenatal and postnatal care.
  • SB 5321 – Concerning access at public postsecondary educational institutions to medication abortion. 
  • SB 5713 – Concerning chemical abortions.
• Long-term care
  • HB 1026 – Protecting spouses by allowing the sharing of benefits under the long-term services and supports trust program.
  • HB 1664/SB 5606 – Providing sufficient funding for the Washington state long-term care ombuds program. 
• Disability care
  • HB 1158/SB 5428 – Improving community inclusion services for individuals with developmental disabilities
  • HB 1344 – Increasing access to respite care for those with intellectual or developmental disabilities and their caregivers.
  • HB 1493 – Concerning the age at which clients of the developmental disabilities administration may receive employment and community inclusion services. 
  • HB 1200/SB 5211 – Authorizing payment for parental caregivers of minor children with developmental disabilities.
• Behavioral health
  • HB 1124/SB 5512 – Establishing a prescribing psychologist certification in Washington state.
  • HB 1433/SB 5201 – Concerning access to psychedelic substances.
  • HB 1547/SB 5126 – Establishing a statewide network for student mental and behavioral health. 
  • SB 5204 – Concerning ibogaine-assisted therapy.
  • SB 5242 – Establishing an interactive screening program to improve access to behavioral health resources for health care providers.
• Public health
  • HB 1034 – Concerning non-opioid drugs for treatment of pain. 
  • HB 1203/SB 5183 – Prohibiting the sale of certain tobacco and nicotine products. 
  • HB 1238/SB 5064 – Creating an advisory council on rare diseases. 
  • HB 1422 – Modifying the drug take-back program.
  • HB 1545/SB 5602 – Improving cardiac and stroke outcomes. 
  • HB 1543 – Enhancing the regulation of tobacco products, alternative nicotine products, and vapor products. 
  • SB 5019 – Concerning prepacked medication distribution.
  • SB 5273 – Concerning the availability of community violence prevention and intervention services.
  • SB 5326 – Accessing an emergency supply of insulin. 
• Patient rights
  • HB 1077 – Raising awareness of pain control options for intrauterine device placement and removal.
  • HB 1187 – Protecting patients involved in motor vehicle accidents from delayed ambulance bills.
  • HB 1496/SB 5254 – Strengthening patients’ rights regarding their health care information. 
  • HB 1876 – Concerning the requirements for accessing the Washington death with dignity act. 
• Private insurance coverage
  • HB 1062 – Providing coverage for biomarker testing.
  • HB 1129/SB 5121 – Concerning health plan coverage of fertility-related services.
  • HB 1425 – Requiring coverage of pharmacogenomic testing for psychotropic medications. 
  • HB 1627 – Providing enrollees flexibility in obtaining services covered annually or on a multiyear basis. 
  • HB 1725 – Increasing access to biosimilar medicines. 
  • HB 1812 – Concerning patient-centered equitable access to anesthesia services and reimbursement.
  • HB 1326/SB 5353 – Concerning the diabetes prevention and obesity treatment act.
• Insurers & providers
  • HB 1277 – Creating a sales and use tax exemption for the purchase and use of medical equipment and supplies by a critical access hospital.
  • HB 1306/SB 5185 – Establishing preceptorship and hardship pathways to medical practice for international medical graduates.
  • HB 1507 – Limiting health care nondisclosure agreements.
  • HB 1527 – Concerning settlement demands or offers made prior to mandatory mediation of health care claims. 
  • HB 1566/SB 5395 – Making improvements to transparency and accountability in the prior authorization determination process. 
  • HB 1655 – Provider contract compensation. 
  • HB 1766 – Prohibiting certain contracting practices by a health carrier acting as a third-party administrator for self-insured coverage offered to public employees. 
  • HB 1957 – Providing consistency in the rate approval process for individual and small group market health plan.
  • SB 5226 – Establishing funding for physician residency positions dedicated to international medical graduates.
  • SB 5335 – Establishing the rural nursing education program.
  • SB 5448 – Exempting certain dialysis services from certificate of need requirements.
  • SB 5683 – Concerning health carrier transparency of payment timeliness of claims submitted by health care providers and health care facilities.

Did we miss anything? Email emily@nohla.org. Stay tuned for more information on these bills and more as legislative session continues!