Now in Health Care, Behavioral Health, and Reproductive Rights

The Legislature completed the 105-day session late Sunday night, April 25. The League of Women Voters of Washington states the position on health care in our state is to control total system expenditures and to provide universal access to affordable health services with seamless coverage regardless of one's health status. Here are three bills that have passed that will do that.

SB 5399 has been delivered to the governor. The governor has 20 days to sign the bill into law. The Universal Health Care Commission is established to prepare the state for the creation of a health care system to provide coverage and access through a universal financing system, including a unified financing system, once federal authority has been acquired. The 15-member commission must submit a baseline report to the governor and the Legislature by Nov. 1, 2022.

SB 5203 has been delivered to the governor. The Health Care Authority may enter into partnerships with other states to produce, distribute, or purchase generic prescription drugs and purchase and distribute insulin at a price that results in savings to public and private purchasers and consumers.

SB 5068 has been signed by the governor. The Health Care Authority, must provide one year of post-partum coverage to low-income individuals who are Washington residents, increased from the current 60 days of post-partum care. Below is the list of bills that have passed, followed by those bills which did not.

 

Bills the League Supports That Passed

HB 1007 Concerning the completion of supervised experience for social work students through distance supervision. Sponsor: Rep. Klippert.    

 Passed On March 30, this bill passed unanimously on a Senate floor vote. Signed by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate. Signed by the governor on April 14.

HB 1009 Concerning student health plans. Sponsor: Rep. My-Linh Thai. A student health plan issued or renewed on or after Jan. 1, 2022, is subject to the abortion requirements applicable to other health plans. 

 Passed Came out of the House Rules Committee and passed on a floor vote on April 6. Signed by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House.  Delivered to the governor.

HB 1061 Concerning youth eligible for developmental disability services who are expected to exit the child welfare system. Sponsor: Rep. Senn. It is the stated intent of the Legislature to reduce, in the most cost-effective way, the number of former foster care youth with developmental disabilities discharged into homelessness or inappropriately placed in hospitals. Intended to reduce the caseload ratio of clients to caseworkers that will help ensure that no young people are overlooked.

 Passed Came out of the Senate Rules Committee and passed on a floor vote on April 7. Speaker of the House signed. President of the Senate has signed. Delivered to the governor.

HB 1086 Creating the State Office of Behavioral Health Consumer Advocacy. Sponsor: Rep. Simmons.
By Jan. 1, 2022, the department shall contract with a private nonprofit organization to provide the State Office of Behavioral Health Consumer Advocacy.

 Passed Came out of the Senate Rules Committee and passed on a floor vote on April 7. On April 13, the House concurred with the Senate amendments and final passage. Signed by the Speaker of the House. Delivered to the governor.

HB 1152 Supporting measures to create comprehensive public health districts. Sponsor: Rep. Riccelli. Requested by the Office of the Governor. A work group is created to develop and recommend to the Secretary of the Department of Health a public health system to provide foundational public health services to all people in Washington through comprehensive public health districts and the department.

 Passed Came out of the Senate Rules Committee and passed on a floor vote on April 11. House concurred in Senate amendments. Final passage on April 15. Delivered to the governor.

HB 1196 Concerning audio-only telemedicine. Sponsor: Rep. Riccelli. Requires reimbursement for audio-only telemedicine services. Requires the insurance commissioner to study and make recommendations regarding telemedicine.            

 Passed Came out of the Senate Rules Committee and passed on a floor vote on April 10. House concurred in Senate amendments. Final passage on April 15. Delivered to the governor.

HB 1225 Concerning school-based health centers. Sponsor: Rep. Stonier. School-based health centers are beneficial to students and families in school districts that are geographically isolated from health care providers. High school students in particular may benefit from SBHCs that provide reliable access to mental and behavioral health services.

 Passed  Came out of the Senate Rules Committee and passed on a floor vote on April 7. Speaker of the House has signed. President has signed. Delivered to the governor.  

HB 1272 Concerning health system transparency. Sponsor: Rep. Macri. Requires that hospitals provide detailed information regarding several identified categories of expenses and revenues in financial reports to the Department of Health.                                                                          

 Passed Senate floor vote on April 10. The House concurred on Senate amendments on April 13. Final passage and signed by the Speaker of the House. Delivered to the governor.

HB 1316 Concerning the hospital safety net assessment. Sponsor: Rep. Cody. Continues to allow revenues from the Hospital Safety Net Assessment program to be used in lieu of State General Fund payments for Medicaid hospital services through the 2023-25 biennium.

 Passed Came out of the Senate Rules Committee and passed 47 to 2 on a floor vote. The House concurred in the amendments and passed by a vote of 90 to 7, 1 excluded. Delivered to the governor.

HB 1323 Concerning the long-term services and supports trust program. Sponsor: Rep. Tharinger. In May 2019, the governor signed a law, creating the nation’s first Long Term Care Trust by January 2021. HB 1323 is necessary to define details for workers enrolled in the Long Term Care Trust and outlines the roles of the Health Care Authority, the DSHS, and the Employment Security Department who will collaborate to manage the program.

 Passed Senate on a floor vote on April 10. House concurred in Senate amendments on April 14. Final passage on April 14. Delivered to the governor.

HB 1325 Implementing policies related to children and youth behavioral health. Sponsor: Rep. Callan. Establishes the Partnership Access Line for Moms and the Mental Health Referral Service for Children and Teens as ongoing programs.           

 Passed Floor vote on April 8. The Speaker of the House has signed, and the President of the Senate has signed. Delivered to the governor.

HB 1477 Implementing the national 988 system to enhance and expand behavioral health crisis response and suicide prevention services. Sponsor: Rep. Orwall. The Health Care Authority (HCA) must collaborate with the Department of Health (DOH) to establish state crisis call center hubs and an enhanced crisis response system. A very complex bill involving multiple agencies to develop new technologies, establish funding sources.

 Passed On April 19, this bill passed in a close vote of 27 to 22 after 26 amendments. Delivered to the governor.

SB 5052 Concerning the creation of health equity zones. Sponsor: Sen. Keiser. The state intends to work with community leaders within the health equity zones to share information and coordinate efforts with the goal of addressing the most urgent needs. 

 Passed Floor vote on April 7. Senate concurred on the House amendments and passed by a vote of 29 to 20. Delivered to the governor.

SB 5068 Improving maternal health outcomes by extending coverage during the postpartum period. Sponsor: Sen. Randall. Postpartum Medicaid coverage currently ends 60 days after pregnancy. Extending health care coverage through the first year postpartum is one of the best tools for increasing access to care and improving maternal and infant health. 

 Passed Floor vote on April 5. Signed by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House. Signed by the governor on April 16.

SB 5071 Creating transition teams to assist specified persons under civil commitment. Sponsor: Sen. Dhingra. This bill would require the court to specify the name of a behavioral health agency responsible for supervising the outpatient release of a person who has been civilly committed following a finding of not guilty by reason of insanity.

 Passed  Had a public hearing in the House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee on March 23 and voted do pass. Passed on a House floor vote on April 11. Senate concurred on House amendments. Final passage on April 14 by a 48-0-1 vote. President of the Senate signed. Delivered to the governor.

SB 5073 Concerning involuntary commitment. Sponsor: Sen. Dhingra. This bill would expand requirements for court-ordered involuntary outpatient behavioral health treatment and modify requirements for Less Restrictive Alternative treatment.

 Passed Came out of the House Rules Committee and passed on a floor vote on April 7. Senate concurred on House amendments, final passage on April 14 by a vote of 46 to 2. President of the Senate signed. Delivered to the governor.

SB 5195 Concerning prescribing opioid overdose reversal medication. Sponsor: Sen. Liias. A practitioner shall provide a current prescription for an opioid overdose reversal medication when the patient presents in an emergency department with an opioid overdose.

 Passed Came out of the House Rules Committee and passed on a floor vote on April 9. Senate concurred in House amendments on April 19. President of the Senate has signed. Delivered to the governor.

SB 5304 Providing reentry services to persons releasing from state and local institutions. Sponsor: Sen. Claire Wilson. The period before an individual's release to the community is critical to reducing recidivism and health implications for the individual. Without immediate access to medical coverage upon release, medications may run out and result in hospitalizations.

 Passed Came out of the House Rules committee and passed on a floor vote on April 9. Senate concurred in House amendments on April 19 and passed 49 to 0. Delivered to the governor.

SB 5140 Protecting pregnancy and miscarriage-related patient care. Sponsor: Sen. Patty Kurderer. The Protecting Pregnant Patients Act would prevent hospital policies from restricting qualified medical providers from providing necessary miscarriage treatment and care for patients whose lives are at risk due to pregnancy complications.

 Passed Came out of the House Rules Committee and passed unanimously on a floor vote on March 24. Senate concurred on the House amendments and passed by a vote of 29 to 20 on April 20. Delivered to the governor.

SB 5203 Producing, distributing, and purchasing generic prescription drugs. Sponsor: Sen. Van Der Wege. 

Allows the Health Care Authority to enter into partnerships with other states, state agencies, or nonprofit entities to produce, distribute, or purchase generic prescription drugs. 

 Passed Came out of the House Rules Committee and passed on a floor vote on April 7. Senate concurred on the House amendments and passed by a vote of 28 to 21 on April 21. Delivered to the governor.

SB 5377 Increasing affordability of standardized plans on the individual market. Sponsor: Sen. Frockt. 

Subsidies are an effective way to address affordability and can be implemented for next year's plan. The Health Care Authority needs more tools to control costs for public option plans.

 Passed Came out of the House Rules Committee and passed on a floor vote on April 8. Senate concurred on the House amendments and passed by a vote of 28 to 21 on April 19. President of the Senate has signed. Delivered to the governor.

SB 5399 Concerning the creation of a universal health care commission. Sponsor: Sen. Randall and 16 co-sponsors. The universal health care commission is established to develop a plan to be implemented by 2026, that will provide comprehensive, equitable, and affordable health care coverage under a publicly financed and privately and publicly delivered health care system to all state residents.

 Passed  Came out of the House Rules Committee and passed on a floor vote on April 7. Senate concurred on the House amendments and passed by a vote of 28 to 21 on April 19. President of the Senate has signed. Delivered to the governor.

SB 5325 Concerning audio-only telemedicine.  Sponsor: Sen. Muzzall. Removes the age limitation on telemedicine reimbursement requirements applicable to behavioral health administrative services organizations.

 Passed Floor vote on April 6. The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House signed on April 8. Signed by the governor on April 16.

Bills the League Opposed

HB 1008 Prohibiting abortion on the basis of Down syndrome. Sponsor: Sen. Klippert. The League of Women Voters of the United States believes that public policy in a pluralistic society must affirm the constitutional right of privacy of the individual to make reproductive choices.

Bills the League Supported That Did Not Pass

HB 1047 Requiring coverage for hearing instruments for children and adolescents. Sponsor: Rep. Emily Wicks and 18 co-sponsors. A health carrier offering a health plan issued or renewed on or after Jan. 1, 2022, must include coverage for hearing instruments for persons who are 18 years of age or younger with refitting every 36 months. 

 Status This bill has not had a public hearing in this session. Write to Rep. Wicks asking that she bring up this bill in the 2022 session. If your own legislator was a co-sponsor write to thank them.

HB 1074 Concerning overdose and suicide fatality reviews. Sponsor: Rep. Strom Peterson. A local health department may establish multidisciplinary overdose and suicide fatality review teams to review overdose or suicide deaths and to develop strategies for the prevention of overdose and suicide fatalities.

 Status Had a public hearing in the Senate Behavioral Health Subcommittee on to Health and Long Term Care Committee on March 12 and voted do pass on March 19. Referred to the Senate Rules Committee for a second reading on March 22. If your legislator sits on that committee, or is a sponsor, ask your legislator to support this bill.

HB 1141 Increasing access to the Death with Dignity Act. Sponsor: Rep. Rude. Makes changes to the 2009 Death with Dignity Act, mainly changes ‘physician’ to ‘qualified medical provider.’ Hospice care is increasingly provided by advanced registered nurse practitioners and physician assistants, especially in rural areas. Eliminates the 15-day waiting period and reduces it to 72 hours. A contract employer may not prevent a health care provider from participating in Death with Dignity Act of 2009 so long as they act independently and at a location that is not on the hospital facility premises.

 Status Write to Rep. Skyler Rude asking that he bring up this bill in the 2022 session. If your own legislator was a co-sponsor write to thank them. 

HB 1499: Providing behavioral health system responses to individuals with substance use disorder. The Pathways to Recovery Act (1) increases funding for substance use disorder treatment and recovery programs, (2) adopts a public health-based approach by eliminating penalties for personal use drug offenses and connecting people with services to address the root causes of their substance use disorder, and (3) expands resources for statewide education about substance use.

 Status  Write an email to Rep. Lauren Davis requesting to bring up this bill in 2022. If your own legislator was a co-sponsor write to thank them. More information at https://www.treatmentfirstwa.org/about. 

SB 5020  Assessing a penalty on unsupported prescription drug price increases. Sponsor: Sen. Keiser. This bill would allow a penalty to drug manufacturers who increase drug prices without providing new clinical evidence.

 Status  This bill was not heard in the Senate Ways and Means Committee by the fiscal cut-off. Contact Sen. Keiser to request that this bill be reintroduced in 2022. If your own legislator was a co-sponsor write to thank them.

SB 5142 Establishing the profession of dental therapist. Sponsor: Sen. Frockt. Adding the dental therapist to the dental team will address racial and ethnic disparities in urban and rural dental health care. Dental therapists are also a strategy to increase workforce diversity in health care and expand career opportunities for existing members of the dental care workforce.    

 Status In 2022, the strategy will be for applying the dental therapy currently taking place on tribal lands in Washington to a statewide scale. This bill did not receive a public hearing in the 2021 session. Write or email Sen. Frockt asking that he bring up this bill again in the 2022 session. If your own legislator was a co-sponsor write to thank her or him.

SB 5204 Creating the Whole Washington Health Trust. Sponsor: Sen. Hasagawa and six co-sponsors.

The Whole Washington Health Trust is created within the Department of Health. The purpose of the trust is to provide coverage for a set of essential health benefits to all Washington residents and request a waiver from the federal government to create universal health care in Washington.                                                 

 Status  This bill did not receive a public hearing in the 2021 session. Write or email Sen. Hasagawa asking that he bring up this bill again in the 2022 session. If your own legislator was a co-sponsor, express thanks. Visit wholewashington.org for more information. 

SB 5335 Concerning the acquisition of health care facilities and mergers. Sponsor: Sen. Randall.   

 Status  Write or email Sen. Randall asking that she bring up this bill again in the 2022 session. If your own legislator was a co-sponsor, express thanks. 

How To Be Involved

• Stay in contact with your legislators.
• Educate yourself about hospital mergers, hospital districts, protecting patient care, certificates of need, and ethical and religious directives at religious hospitals. At the link above you can learn about actions to take, useful information about letter writing campaigns, and articles of interest. SB 5335 regarding hospital mergers will be reintroduced in 2022.
• In your local League, members who have interest in health law and reproductive rights can form an interest group to discuss actions and research health issues locally.
• For current League members, join the Affinity Group for Health Care legislation for sharing and discussions. The first meetings were on Sept. 29, 2020 and Jan. 16, 2021. We will meet again in May 2021 at the end of the session to discuss successes.
• Contact Kim Abbey, Healthcare, Behavioral Health, and Reproductive Rights Issue Chair.