The telemedicine bill that WSHA and its members support has hearings in the Senate and House this week, House Bill 1403 and Senate Bill 5175. (Download the issue brief here.) This legislation is a top priority for us this session. It guarantees that if an insurer covers a service in person, they will also cover... Read More >>

The legislature has been off and running since it was called into session last Monday. The House and Senate are in full swing, considering bills and debating the Governor’s budget proposals. One of the bigger pieces of news from this first week was the passage of a Senate rule requiring a 2/3 majority vote for new... Read More >>

The Big Budget Picture Today, Governor Jay Inslee released his proposed budget for the 2015-2017 biennium. Despite increasing stability in the overall economy and modestly increased state revenues, the state’s budget is facing a multi-billion dollar gap because of the pressures of the McCleary education decision, the class size initiative, the mental health court decisions,... Read More >>

Background:  The state has begun its process to develop a budget proposal for the upcoming biennium, state fiscal years 2015 to 2017. The process starts with agency recommendations to the Governor, for his proposed budget, usually released in December. The Health Care Authority’s (HCA’s) recommendations to the Governor included a cut to the Medicaid payment rates for hospital-based clinics... Read More >>