Healthcare

signed · Washington · House Mar 25, 2026

HB 2548: Strengthening health care market standards.

HB 2548 amends Washington state law to require 60-day advance notice to the Attorney General for significant healthcare entity transactions. It directly affects hospitals, hospital systems, and provider organizations (like physician groups or accountable care organizations) when they plan mergers, acquisitions, or changes in ownership structure. The bill mandates this notice for transactions involving entities generating $10 million+ in Washington patient revenue, or for conversions from nonprofit to for-profit status. This procedural requirement aims to increase transparency before major market shifts, without altering healthcare coverage or costs. The bill is currently pending in committee after failing to pass in the House.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill mandates transparency for healthcare mergers to prevent anti-competitive practices, directly strengthening market standards as stated in title and summary.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Healthcare

signed · Washington · Senate Mar 25, 2026

SB 6182: Establishing an abortion savings program.

SB 6182 establishes an abortion savings program funded by an annual assessment on health insurance companies. It requires health carriers to pay $0.82 per coverage month in 2027 (then $0.165 annually) to a state account, with funds used to provide operating grants to abortion providers and funds that support clinical care access for people without sufficient resources. The bill prohibits disclosing patient or provider identifying information and mandates that at least 85% of program funds go directly to eligible organizations. These grants specifically support abortion services where federal funding is restricted, and the program cannot pass assessment costs to consumers through premiums or rates.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill imposes annual assessment on insurers to fund abortion care, creating new state revenue and directing spending toward healthcare services.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareFunds abortion providers via insurer assessments, improves access for low-resource patients, aligns with healthcare funding/support indicators95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Healthcare

signed · Washington · House Mar 24, 2026

HB 2360: Expanding access to albuterol in public and private schools.

HB 2360 allows Washington public and private schools to maintain a stock supply of albuterol (a medication for asthma symptoms) for student use, without requiring individual prescriptions for each instance. Schools must obtain a prescription and standing order from a health professional, and only school nurses or trained staff can administer it according to existing asthma management protocols. The bill protects school staff from liability when following proper procedures and gives employees the option to decline managing albuterol without job penalties. It does not change current rules for students who already have personal albuterol prescriptions.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands student access to asthma medication via school stockpiles and standing orders, improving emergency care access without individual prescriptions.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Healthcare

signed · Washington · Senate Mar 24, 2026

SB 6226: Protecting the clinical autonomy of audiologists.

SB 6226 (Protecting the clinical autonomy of audiologists) ensures Washington audiologists can use their clinical judgment to decide whether telehealth or in-person care is best for each patient. It amends state law to prevent regulations from creating different standards for telehealth versus in-person services, requiring all rules to be "modality-agnostic." The bill specifically prohibits the licensing board from making rules that block audiologists (and other hearing/speech professionals) from determining appropriate care methods. It allows the board to still set standards for care quality, safety, and documentation, as long as these don’t override clinical decisions about care delivery. This bill directly affects audiologists, hearing aid specialists, and speech-language pathologists providing care in Washington.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill protects audiologists' clinical judgment in care decisions, ensuring modality-agnostic rules to improve patient access and prevent regulatory barriers in healthcare services.92% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Healthcare

signed · Washington · House Mar 23, 2026

HB 2475: Concerning language accessible public programs, activities, and services conducted, operated, or administered by state agencies.

HB 2475 requires Washington state agencies to provide language-accessible public programs, activities, and services in individuals' primary languages (including sign language) across all communication methods. It directly affects non-English speakers, particularly those with limited English proficiency, by mandating consistent service delivery for state benefits, health care, emergency response, and other programs. The bill requires the state office of equity to develop uniform guidelines by December 2027, address interpreter shortages for less common languages, and update guidelines every three years. This law clarifies existing language access obligations under state law without creating new rights or expanding protected classes.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates language access for health care services, improving access for non-English speakers in state health programs per bill summary.95% confidence ✓ ImmigrationSupports ImmigrationMandates language-accessible state services for non-English speakers, including immigrants with limited English proficiency, enhancing access to benefits and healthcare.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Healthcare

signed · Washington · House Mar 23, 2026

HB 2385: Concerning the medicaid access program.

HB 2385 creates a Medicaid Access Program requiring Washington State to increase reimbursement rates for specific medical services (like anesthesia, surgery, behavioral health, and maternal care) that are currently paid at or below Medicare rates. These rates must be raised uniformly to match Medicare rates from the prior year, using funds collected in a dedicated account, and adjusted annually using the Medicare Economic Index after federal approval is secured. The bill mandates a study starting in 2032 to evaluate if these rate increases improve Medicaid access, tracking metrics like provider participation and patient access surveys. It also sets a 2032 deadline for federal approval, after which the program expires if approval isn't granted.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesMandates increased state funding for Medicaid services by requiring uniform reimbursement rate hikes to Medicare levels using dedicated funds.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareIncreases Medicaid reimbursement rates to Medicare levels for key services (anesthesia, surgery, behavioral health, maternal care), improving provider access and patient care through enhanced funding.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Healthcare

signed · Washington · House Mar 23, 2026

HB 1187: Protecting patients involved in motor vehicle accidents from delayed ambulance bills.

HB 1187 prevents ambulance services from selling or assigning patient debt related to motor vehicle accidents (including pedestrian or bicycle injuries) to debt collectors for at least 120 days after the initial bill is sent. It directly affects patients involved in such accidents by delaying debt collection efforts. The law requires ambulance providers to wait 120 days before transferring debt, and allows state officials to investigate repeated violations and impose fines. The bill takes effect January 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareDelays ambulance debt collection for 120 days, protecting patients from immediate financial burden after accidents, directly advancing patient access and rights in healthcare services.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Healthcare

signed · Washington · Senate Mar 18, 2026

SB 6103: Making payments for services provided by a rural emergency hospital subject to appropriation.

This bill changes how Washington state funds rural emergency hospitals. It requires that payments for services provided by rural emergency hospitals (designated by federal Medicare/Medicaid) must be approved each year through the state budget, rather than being automatically funded. This affects hospitals meeting federal rural emergency hospital criteria, including those that previously received automatic payments. The change applies to all medical assistance program services provided by these hospitals, regardless of patient enrollment in managed care. The bill does not alter existing payment rates but shifts the funding mechanism to annual appropriations.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesRequires annual budget approval for rural hospital payments instead of automatic funding, making funding contingent on annual appropriations and reducing guaranteed support.90% confidence ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareBill requires annual budget approval for rural hospital payments instead of automatic funding, creating potential for defunding and restricting consistent healthcare financing for designated facilities.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Healthcare

signed · Washington · Senate Mar 14, 2026

SB 5917: Improving access to abortion medications.

SB 5917 authorizes Washington's Department of Health to operate a program distributing abortion medications (like mifepristone and misoprostol) to healthcare providers and entities offering reproductive health care, including abortion services. The bill requires medications to be sold at cost - capped at list price plus a $5 fee per dose for secure storage and delivery - and prioritizes bulk distribution to clinics and hospitals. It exempts the state from needing a wholesaler's license for this program under existing law and mandates that medications only be used for reproductive health care. The policy directly affects healthcare providers and facilities that offer abortion or pregnancy-related care in Washington State.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareAuthorizes state program to distribute abortion meds at cost, prioritizing clinics to improve access to reproductive healthcare services.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Healthcare

passed · Washington · House Mar 12, 2026

HB 2319: Renaming certain state residential facilities for persons with developmental disabilities.

HB 2319 renames three state facilities currently referred to as "schools" in statutes to "residential habilitation centers" to better reflect their actual purpose of providing habilitative support (like daily living skills training and medical services) rather than education. Specifically, Fircrest School, Rainier School, and Yakima Valley School become Fircrest Residential Habilitation Center, Rainier Residential Habilitation Center, and Yakima Valley Residential Habilitation Center, respectively, while Lakeland Village retains its existing name. The bill clarifies that these name changes are purely administrative - no services, operations, or funding access will be altered. It also updates related statutes to use the new facility names consistently across state law.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRenames facilities providing medical services to reflect healthcare focus, aligning with accurate representation of habilitative health support per bill summary.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Healthcare

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