| 2025-legislative-landscape-other-health-policies-passed | 2025 Legislative Landscape: Other Health Policies Passed | Latest_News | Shared_Content/News/advocacy-report/2025/april-28/2025-legislative-landscape-other-health-policies-passed | <div class="col-md-12">
<div class="col-sm-5 pull-right" style="text-align: center;"><img src="/images/Newsletters/advocacy-report/2025/april/steth-warm-background-645x425.jpg" class="pull-right" alt="stethoscope on a cloth" /></div>
<h5>April 28, 2025</h5>
<!-- **************************NEW ARTICLE****************************** -->
<h2>2025 Legislative Landscape: Other Health Policies Passed</h2>
<p>More than 2,000 bills were introduced during the 2025 session, with over 400 of them approved by the Washington State Legislature. The WSMA tracked and engaged on over 400 bills, with topics ranging from practice of medicine, public health, reproductive health care, insurance coverage, and beyond. Led by our physician leadership tables at the WSMA executive committee, board of trustees, and legislative steering committee, our overarching principle in legislative advocacy is to promote patient access to care and ensure physicians can practice medicine in a manner that's appropriate and financially viable. </p>
<p>Ensuring access to reproductive health is a continuing priority of the WSMA and legislative Democrats, with another set of relevant bills approved in the 2025 session. Legislation was adopted to build on the state's "shield law" to protect physicians and other health care practitioners providing reproductive health care and gender-affirming services, as well as patients receiving the care (<a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/?BillNumber=5632&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false">SB 5632</a>). Another bill ensures commercial insurance coverage for a 12-month supply of contraceptive drugs (<a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/?BillNumber=5498&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false">SB 5498</a>). And two bills were passed to update outmoded state law related to a pregnancy provision in the state's model form for advance health care directives (<a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/?BillNumber=1215&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false">HB 1215</a>) and to remove the state statute of the crime of concealing a birth (<a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/?BillNumber=5093&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false">SB 5093</a>). </p>
<p>The cost of health care was front of mind for many legislators. A bill was adopted this year to establish reimbursement rate caps for facility payments to hospitals for the care of individuals enrolled in state employee health plans (<a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/?BillNumber=5083&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false">SB 5083</a>). The WSMA was neutral on the bill after an amendment was adopted to exempt professional service reimbursement under the bill, though in future years the issue is likely to be revisited and rate caps will be proposed to be expanded. And the WSMA supported a bill to prohibit medical debt from being included in credit reports after securing amendments to ensure there would not be undue administrative burden imposed on practices (<a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/?BillNumber=5480&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false">SB 5480</a>). </p>
<p>As it has been in recent years, the business of medicine was a point of focus in the 2025 session with bills proposed to limit the ability of physician groups and other entities to enter into mergers and acquisitions (<a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/?BillNumber=1881&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false">HB 1881</a>), impose new corporate practice of medicine requirements (<a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5387&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=False">SB 5387</a>), and establish a registry of all health care entities in the state (<a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/?BillNumber=1686&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false">HB 1686</a>). </p>
<p>The registry bill was approved as a study-directing the Department of Health and other state agencies to make recommendations on how it could be implemented-but the other bills failed to make it through the legislative process. All are likely to return in 2026 and the WSMA will advocate that the Legislature's interest in preserving independent practice should be reflected not only in policy bills, but also in tax policy. It's neither reasonable nor realistic for lawmakers to continue to make it more difficult for physician organizations to operate while also protesting consolidation and diminishing access to care in communities. </p>
</div> | 4/28/2025 12:00:00 AM | 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM |
| 2025-session-has-adjourned-whats-next | 2025 Session Has Adjourned: What's Next? | Latest_News | Shared_Content/News/advocacy-report/2025/april-28/2025-session-has-adjourned-whats-next | <div class="col-md-12">
<div class="col-sm-5 pull-right" style="text-align: center;"><img src="/images/Newsletters/advocacy-report/2025/april/ls-2025-01-white-coats-008-645x425px.jpg" class="pull-right" alt="physicians in white coats at the capitol" /></div>
<h5>April 28, 2025</h5>
<h2>2025 Session Has Adjourned: What's Next? </h2>
<p>The Washington State Legislature runs on a two-year cycle, and any bill not adopted in 2025 will automatically be reintroduced when the 2026 legislative session begins next January. This means that over 1,500 bills will be on the table on day one of session next year, with another 1,500 or so likely to be introduced during the course of the 60-day session. </p>
<p>Of course, that's assuming that the Legislature doesn't convene in a special session in the meantime. A number of factors could bring lawmakers back to town in the coming months, most notably the cuts to Medicaid and other areas of the federal government that are being threatened by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans. </p>
<p>Speaking of the federal government, a point of focus for the WSMA this interim will be working with the governor's office and the state Health Care Authority to pursue approval of the Medicaid Access Program from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Similar programs have been approved by CMS in recent years, including during the first Trump administration. </p>
<p>Throughout our advocacy for the bill, we acknowledged there is a possibility the program will not be approved. But particularly given the state's budget challenges, this represented the best opportunity we have to increase investments in Medicaid reimbursement. We designed the program to comply with federal regulations and are hopeful it will be approved in the interest of promoting access to care for Medicaid enrollees and enacting long-overdue rate increases for the physician community. </p>
<p>And while it seems like the last election was just yesterday, with the adjournment of session it's campaign season again. Several state legislators were appointed to office since the 2024 election, requiring them to run for special election in November to retain their seats. Some will be high-profile contests that could have an impact on the ideological and partisan make-up of the Legislature. Through WAMPAC, the WSMA's nonpartisan campaign arm, we'll be working to connect with the candidates and support those whose priorities align with the house of medicine. </p>
<p>Our advocacy work never stops at the WSMA, and we can't do it without you. Your yearly investment in the WSMA is what powers our work on behalf of the profession and your patients. Thank you to the hundreds of physicians and who took time in recent months to join us at the WSMA Legislative Summit, testify before the Legislature, and send messages to your lawmakers. We're grateful to you and we want to know what the WSMA can be doing to be helpful to you, your practice, and your patients. If you have suggestions for the WSMA's 2026 legislative agenda, contact WSMA Government Affairs Director <a href="mailto:sean@wsma.org">Sean Graham</a>. </p>
</div> | 4/28/2025 12:00:00 AM | 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM |
| final-2025-2027-state-budget-approved | Final 2025-2027 State Budget Approved | Latest_News | Shared_Content/News/advocacy-report/2025/april-28/final-2025-2027-state-budget-approved | <div class="col-md-12">
<div class="col-sm-5 pull-right" style="text-align: center;"><img src="/images/Newsletters/advocacy-report/2025/april/ls-2025-01-685-medium.jpg" class="pull-right" alt="capitol building" /></div>
<h5>April 28, 2025</h5>
<!-- **************************NEW ARTICLE****************************** -->
<h2>Final 2025-2027 State Budget Approved </h2>
<p>The <a href="[@]Shared_Content/News/advocacy-report/2025/april-28/tax-increase-on-physician-groups-included-in-2025-session-revenue-package.aspx">revenue package</a>&nbsp;contributed to a $78 billion state operating budget adopted by legislators Sunday afternoon, increasing state spending in the coming two-year fiscal cycle by around $5 billion. While there were cuts to health care programs and other areas of the budget, the revenue increases obviated the type of deep programmatic reductions that the state saw during the great recession. Many Democrats in Olympia recalled the legacy of those cuts and were committed to not repeating it.</p>
<p>Bright spots in the budget include funding largely being retained for WSMA-supported programs such as foundational public health services ($300 million), insurance coverage for undocumented residents of the state ($142 million), health insurance premium assistance for exchange enrollees ($85 million), and numerous appropriations to address the opioid epidemic and increase access to medication for opioid use disorder.</p>
<p>But cuts to health care programs were not completely avoided. State payments to Medicaid managed care organizations were cut by 1% for both physical health care services ($106 million savings) and behavioral health capitation ($27.7 million savings). Medicaid reimbursement for laboratory services was reduced to 80% of the corresponding Medicare rates ($33.5 million savings). And funding was trimmed for the state's health professional student loan repayment program ($2.6 million savings), among other cuts to programs supporting physical and behavioral health care.</p>
<p>The state budget shortfall was driven by not only tapering anticipated revenues, but also increased costs associated with existing state programs due to heightened enrollment and per-capita costs. The bulk of the new spending in the budget went towards K-12 education, and especially special education.</p>
<p>Another cost driver was the collective bargaining agreements negotiated last year by former Gov. Jay Inslee. There was discussion during session of rejecting the agreements and sending negotiators back to the bargaining table, as well as furloughs or pay cuts for state employees. But the final budget fully funded the collective bargaining agreements and did not include pay cuts for state workers.</p>
<p>Through the course of session, Gov. Bob Ferguson largely stayed outside the fray of budget negotiations. He offered suggestions for budget reductions and expressed opposition to the Legislature relying on revenue to the extent that was initially proposed. But he consistently avoided expressing support for specific tax increases and issued a statement following adjournment of session saying that he would be carefully reviewing the budget and tax bills in the coming weeks before taking action on them.</p>
</div> | 4/28/2025 12:00:00 AM | 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM |