Session begins!

January 8, 2018

The 2018 legislative session begins today, but WSHA has been preparing for months.

It’s a short session, but WSHA still has a strong agenda for advancing health care. Unfamiliar with some of those issues? Click on the links to read issue briefs about some of our big issues, such as:

Having hospital leaders and staff communicate their values and priorities to legislators, including through testimony at committee hearings, is crucial to our success in Olympia. Your stories are powerful! We know how hard it is to get to Olympia to testify, but your expertise is crucial. If you’re a WSHA member, please let us know if you’d like to testify.

Hearings are starting this week! Scroll down to see which bills WSHA will testify on this week.

Please contact Chris Bandoli (chrisb@wsha.org) or any other member of the team for more information.

 

Legislative session kick-off webcast

Join us Thursday for a lunchtime virtual chat about the legislative session.

Thursday, January 11, 2018
Noon- 1 p.m.
Go to Meeting (register in advance)

Chris Bandoli and Chelene Whiteaker will give an update on the political landscape in Olympia, talk about the big priorities of the legislative agenda, and most importantly, take your questions!  We aim for this to be a conversation, so come with your questions and concerns. If you have any questions or need help registering, please contact Cindy Skinner at cindys@wsha.org or 206/577-1816.

 

Building on progress on opioids

Opioid addiction is a huge concern for our communities and all the health care providers who witness the impacts daily. We made good legislative progress last year, and the Department of Health is working hard to implement the new law. The joint WSHA-WSMA task force is also working to reduce addiction while still helping patients manage their pain and healing. WSHA will be testifying about our concerns about HB 2272 and HB 2325, which would put medical practice into law via strict pill limits and the mandate to check drug databases for all patients. Strict controls are well-intentioned but too inflexible to meet the differing needs of patients.

To learn more about WSHA’s approach to opioids, read the issue brief here or contact Ian Corbridge at ianc@wsha.org or 206/216-2514.

 

WSHA Legislative Testimony: January 8-12

WSHA is testifying on the following bills this week:
Tuesday, January 9

  • House Health Care & Wellness
    • HB 2355- Individual health insurance market claims-based reinsurance program (Chris Bandoli, chrisb@wsha.org)

Friday, January 12

  • House Health Care & Wellness
    • HB 2272 (see opioid article above)

HB 2325 (see opioid article above)

 

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