Healthcare

passed · Washington · Senate Mar 12, 2026

SB 5993: Prohibiting interest charges for new and unpaid medical debt.

SB 5993 caps interest charges on new and unpaid medical debt at 1% per year, directly affecting patients with outstanding medical bills. The bill amends Washington law to prohibit interest above this rate, including for debt accrued before or after a court judgment. It excludes from the cap certain medical debt that is invalid, waived under state law, or unenforceable. This policy change reduces financial burdens for individuals struggling with medical debt while maintaining existing legal enforcement mechanisms for valid claims.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareCaps medical debt interest at 1% to reduce patient financial burden, directly improving healthcare access and protecting patient rights.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Healthcare

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passed · Washington · Senate Mar 12, 2026

SB 6210: Concerning the health plan certification process.

SB 6210 authorizes Washington's health insurance exchange to add new certification criteria for health plans sold through the state marketplace, specifically to improve access and affordability for residents purchasing coverage via the exchange. The bill amends state law to let the exchange develop additional standards beyond the existing federal 19 criteria, focusing on cost and availability issues. It clarifies that the Insurance Commissioner retains primary oversight of rate increases and provider networks, which remain unchanged. This directly affects Washington residents who buy health insurance through the state exchange. The policy change aims to stabilize the insurance market without altering the Commissioner's existing responsibilities.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill authorizes new certification criteria to improve exchange plan access/affordability, directly advancing healthcare coverage access per summary's focus on cost/availability issues.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Healthcare

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passed · Washington · Senate Mar 12, 2026

SB 5873: Concerning escorted leaves of absence for incarcerated individuals.

This bill expands eligibility for escorted leaves of absence for incarcerated individuals in Washington state. It allows incarcerated people to leave prison with supervision for specific reasons, including attending funerals or visiting seriously ill extended family (like grandchildren, aunts, uncles, or domestic partners), participating in athletic events, receiving medical care not available in prison, or joining nonviolent offender community service programs. The bill also requires reimbursement for leave costs from the incarcerated person or their family unless they are indigent, and prohibits leaving the state during these leaves. These changes apply to all state correctional facilities and modify existing state law to clarify permitted activities and financial responsibilities.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeExpands supervised leave for incarcerated individuals for family, medical, and community service, promoting rehabilitation and reintegration within corrections system.90% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill explicitly permits incarcerated individuals to access medical care unavailable in prison, improving healthcare access for a vulnerable population.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Healthcare

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passed · Washington · Senate Mar 12, 2026

SB 5924: Expanding prescriptive authority for pharmacists.

SB 5924 would allow Washington pharmacists to prescribe medications and devices without needing separate collaborative agreements with doctors, expanding their current authority. This change directly affects pharmacists - particularly in rural and underserved communities - and patients who rely on access to care for chronic conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and behavioral health. The bill removes the administrative burden of maintaining collaborative agreements, which the legislature states has not improved patient safety or oversight, while recognizing pharmacists' existing 1,740+ hours of patient care training. The policy change aims to improve health outcomes by leveraging pharmacists' full scope of practice as highly trained providers.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands pharmacist prescribing authority without doctor agreements, improving access to care for chronic conditions in underserved communities.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Healthcare

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passed · Washington · Senate Mar 12, 2026

SB 5947: Establishing the Washington health care board.

SB 5947 establishes a 19-member Washington Health Care Board to design a universal health care plan for all state residents. The board must develop the plan, secure federal approval and funding through a waiver, and recommend legislative changes before implementation. It includes specific representation: employers, health providers (like primary care doctors and nurses), tribal leaders, labor, and health financing experts. The bill cannot take effect until federal law permits states to create such a plan with federal funding.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareEstablishes universal healthcare plan for all residents, expanding coverage access through a dedicated board and federal waiver process.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Healthcare

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signed · Washington · House Mar 11, 2026

HB 2294: Prohibiting negative use restrictions on real property that have the effect of limiting consumer access to food and medicine.

HB 2294 bans private agreements that prevent grocery stores or pharmacies from operating on property where they would otherwise be allowed under local zoning laws. This directly affects property owners, developers, and retailers subject to restrictive covenants or leases that limit food and medicine access. The law prohibits rules restricting store types, sizes, or locations - except for pre-existing agreements or store relocations meeting specific criteria like proximity and timing. Enforcement is handled by the state attorney general and local governments through existing consumer protection laws.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBans restrictions preventing pharmacies/grocery stores from operating, directly improving access to medicine and healthcare services per bill's focus on limiting access barriers.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Healthcare

passed · Washington · Senate Jan 12, 2026

SB 5629: Concerning coverage requirements for prosthetic limbs and custom orthotic braces.

SB 5629 mandates that large group health plans in Washington, issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2026, must include coverage for medically necessary prosthetic limbs and custom orthotic braces. This coverage applies when devices are needed for daily living, essential job activities, or to maximize physical function. The bill also requires coverage for materials, instruction, and reasonable repair or replacement of these devices. It prohibits denying coverage for individuals with disabilities if similar services would be covered for non-disabled persons and requires health plans to report claims data.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates coverage for prosthetics and orthotics in health plans, expanding access to necessary medical devices for daily living and job functions.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Healthcare

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signed · Washington · Senate May 20, 2025

SB 5807: Concerning wellness incentives for public and school employee health benefit plans.

Senate Bill 5807 modifies the wellness programs offered through public and school employee health benefit plans. The bill discontinues the "smart health program," including its wellness incentive and online portal, for these employees, effective January 1, 2028. While employees who meet eligibility requirements for an incentive by December 31, 2027, will still receive it in the 2028 plan year, no new wellness incentives can be earned after that date. The legislation shifts the focus to broader wellness initiatives that emphasize preventative health strategies.

Topics ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareBill discontinues wellness incentives in public/school employee health plans, restricting access to wellness program benefits effective 2028.85% confidence ✗ Labor & EmploymentOpposes Labor & EmploymentBill discontinues wellness incentives for public/school employees, removing a benefit that employees could earn through health programs.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Healthcare

signed · Washington · Senate May 20, 2025

SB 5083: Ensuring access to primary care, behavioral health, and affordable hospital services.

SB 5083 aims to ensure access to primary care, behavioral health, and affordable hospital services for public employees and their dependents in Washington state. It sets caps on how much health carriers can reimburse in-network hospitals for inpatient and outpatient services, generally limiting them to 200% of Medicare rates in 2027 and 190% in 2029, with higher limits for children's specialty hospitals. The bill also mandates minimum reimbursement rates for in-network primary care and non-facility-based behavioral health services (150% of Medicare) and for rural critical access hospitals. Additionally, it requires certain hospitals to contract with health carriers serving public employees and mandates data sharing with the Health Care Authority for monitoring.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill mandates minimum reimbursements for primary care and behavioral health, caps hospital rates to ensure affordability, and explicitly aims to 'ensure access' to covered services for public employees.92% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill ensures healthcare access/affordability for public employees, expanding employment benefits through mandated reimbursement standards and cost caps.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Healthcare

signed · Washington · House May 19, 2025

HB 2051: Concerning payment to acute care hospitals for difficult to discharge medicaid patients.

HB 2051 concerns payments made to acute care hospitals for Medicaid patients who are medically ready for discharge but cannot easily be moved to another care setting. The bill directly affects these hospitals and the Medicaid patients requiring extended care. It reenacts and amends RCW 74.09.520 to establish or modify the payment structure for the care of these specific patients. This aims to address the challenges hospitals face when patients are difficult to discharge.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareModifies Medicaid payment structure to ensure hospitals receive proper reimbursement for medically ready but difficult-to-discharge patients, improving care continuity and hospital financial stability for Medicaid services.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Healthcare