On March 31, 2022, Governor Inslee signed E2SHB 1688 (Chap. 263, Laws of 2022) which aligns portions of the state’s Balance Billing Protection Act to the federal No Surprises Act and adds new provisions. The law went into effect on that date. Last week, WSHA provided a Bulletin to members summarizing key components of E2SHB 1688.
The state Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) provided a series of Zoom webinars regarding E2SHB 1688 and the changes. There are five separate webinars with specific content for carriers, arbitrators, behavioral health providers and organizations, consumers, and providers. Recordings of these webinars can be accessed on the OIC web site.
OIC has also updated its Standard Consumer Notice to better align with statutory requirements and meet both BBPA and NSA requirements. Facilities must post the updated notice on their website and provide the updated notice to patients in certain situations where it is already required. OIC has provided translations of the notice in 10 additional languages for this purpose. (Andrew Busz, AndrewB@wsha.org)
