Working for high quality, sustainable, affordable, publicly-funded health care for ALL Washington residents


Next Universal Health Care Work Group Meeting: Wednesday October 7. Click for more info. 

Our Annual Meeting is November 15, 2-4:00 PM via Zoom. Special guest speaker: Dr. Ben Danielson, Senior Medical Director at Odessa Brown Children's Clinic. Click for more info.

Our Mission

The mission of HCFA-WA is to achieve high quality, sustainable, affordable, publicly financed, and publicly and privately delivered health care for all Washington residents. 

Recent Affairs

We have been effective. HCFA-WA was instrumental in recent years through the development of legislation, including promoting and lobbying for passage of the Pathway to Universal Health Care Bill, as well as the Cascade Care Bill, in 2019. This year, HCFA-WA focused on pharmaceutical measures passed in other states before creating our own proposal package to contain costs of prescription drugs and address the extreme and exploitative cost of insulin. The three bills we incubated passed with nearly unanimous support, as did three additional health reform bills we pushed. With the able assistance of our contract lobbyist, we renewed existing relationships with key legislators and reached out across the aisles of both legislative chambers to form a strong, bi-partisan foundation of support for continuing health care reforms.

Who We Are

Formed in 1994, HCFA-WA is the oldest grassroots organization in Washington that is solely dedicated to bringing about publicly funded, publicly and privately delivered universal health care. Two-thirds of its Board of Directors are healthcare professionals, providing expert guidance and insight into the development of public policy; other board and committee members are longtime advocates focused on increasing equitability and access to health care.

We seek to eliminate the stark disparities in health and health care by race, ethnicity, class, gender, geography, employment, and citizenship status; and to expand and rebuild our public health system to be capable of rapid response and resiliency in the face of contagion or catastrophe.

What We Do

  • Work with legislators to propose and lobby for meaningful healthcare legislation;
  • Monitor ongoing legislative efforts;
  • Build coalitions and develop a thriving, statewide grassroots network;
  • Provide supporters with action alerts enabling and empowering them to advocate for pending legislation;
  • Establish relationships with private sector employers, organizations, and citizen allies interested in healthcare legislation;
  • Hold public forums and educational seminars on health care;
  • Communicate our progress with the public through social media, our website, bi-weekly e-blasts, and the publication of a a monthly newsletter with timely articles, actionable steps, and event listings

Our Current Needs

We seek individuals committed to the evolution of our health care system. While we always need and welcome providers in healthcare, HCFA-WA is in need of those with backgrounds in financial analysis, budgeting, fiscal policy, legal compliance and disclosure, public relations, and communications, governance, and development.

2019-20 Session Bill Information

"As a doctor, it's devastating to lose a patient because they can't afford treatment. I have signed two Washington state death certificates listing the underlying cause as a lack of health insurance. In one case, a woman in her 40s died of breast cancer because she couldn't afford treatment. Another woman, in her early 60s, died of heart disease. These cases are haunting. No one should die because they don't have health insurance." -Chris Covert-Bowlds, MD & HCFA-WA Board Member