WSHA’s 2023 Legislative Summary is now available on the WSHA website, and physical copies will be mailed to hospital and health systems next week.
The publication highlights the association’s work during the state legislative session, including policy and budget priorities and a bill-by-bill breakdown of the results. We are pleased to report positive results for hospitals and health care this year.
The biggest success this session was the enactment of the Hospital Safety Net Assessment bill.. For many Washington hospitals, the program will result in the first Medicaid payment increase in 20 years. The timing of this bill was critical, as Washington hospitals reported $2.1 billion in operating losses over the course of 2022.
The Legislature’s final budget funds multiple programs WSHA advocated for including addressing post-acute care placement, increasing Medicaid rates for long-term care providers, funding behavioral health services for children and youth, and investing in growing the health care workforce.
WSHA’s Government Affairs team is now shifting focus to engage in agency rulemaking, support implementation of new laws and plan for the 2024 session. We offer our sincere thanks to members who testified before lawmakers, participated in WSHA Advocacy Day and analyzed the impact of bills on hospital operations. Your efforts are instrumental to our success!
Sincerely,
Chelene Whiteaker
WSHA Senior VP of Government Affairs
chelenew@wsha.org
