We were so excited to see Governor Inslee sign another law today based on a HCFA-WA proposal. ESSB 2662 relieves diabetics in our state from the skyrocketing cost of insulin.

This two-pronged law not only provides a cap on out-of-pocket costs for the next two years, but also sets in motion a longer term comprehensive approach to controlling costs with the formation of the Total Cost of Insulin Work Group.

The bill passed the Legislature with strong bi-partisan support. Now that it is law, Washington's nearly 800,000 Diabetes patients will soon see relief from sky-rocketing insulin prices. Please join us in thanking Gov. Inslee for signing this important legislation into law!

Based on a proposal developed by HCFA-WA members, this is an example of government putting a price cap on private insurance companies, which encourages insurance companies to negotiate prices with Pharma. Read more about this bill and other important legislation here.

This legislation is also an example of the kind of research and advocacy work that Health Care for All-Washington does year in and year out. It is a significant win and builds upon the success we had last year on our path to universal health care.

The Office of the Insurance Commissioner announced Tuesday new orders to health insurers to protect Washingtonians against the coronavirus pandemic. Commissioner Mike Kriedler issued a second emergency order for health insurers to expand telehealth, testing coverage, and extend premium grace periods.

On its tenth anniversary, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is helping our state provide health care during a pandemic.

Being at the center of the COVID-19 pandemic shows how critical it is for Washington State to have a strong health system. A virus does not discriminate, and we need everyone, regardless of their income, to be able to access health care to keep us all safe.

From Cindi Laws, HCFA-WA lobbyist, this breakdown of the important health care bills this session - including ours!

Key Legislative Bill Elements

CORE-4: 3 of our 4 bills passed, but the language of the 4th was included. That's 100% success on our primary legislative objective. 

From President Marcia Stedman

The mission of Health Care for All-Washington has always been to make sure that everyone has health care. The current coronavirus pandemic highlights the importance of government involvement in oversight and monitoring of public health. Government structures such as the Centers for Disease Control and the National Security Council’s pandemic response team are important supports for our public health care system. It’s clear what is needed, now, more than ever: coverage that gets people the care they need when they need it, without the fear of being judged not eligible for it or not being able to pay for it. This crisis shows us the urgency of bringing universal coverage to the fore.

""We would want to ensure that we work to make (the COVID-19 vaccine) affordable, but we can't control that price because we need the private sector to invest. Price controls won't get us there," (Federal Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex) Azar told members of Congress."

This legislative session has been a cascade (pun possibly intended) of health care legislation moving through committees.  The floodgates have opened, Health Care for All-Washington is here for it, and we are seeing fantastic results! We are so excited!

Keep up the good work providing public comments! Thanks to all who shared their thoughts with the Universal Health Care Work Group. You doubled the number of comments for the December meeting. Listen to the February meeting and comment here. Let’s increase it again!

Please add the next UHC Work Group Meeting to your calendar. It will be April 22nd, 1-5 pm, in Seattle, location TBD. The Work Group needs to hear about your struggles to afford health insurance and health care in Washington state. Let’s be sure they know that Washingtonians are very interested in the Work Group and want it to make recommendations that could substantially improve our health care. When we get closer, go the Work Group website for the agenda, meeting materials, and meeting location detail.

OK, now on to the recap of the February Meeting attended by HCFA-WA and Work Group members Denny Dellwo, Kelly Powers, Ronnie Shure, and Lynnette Vehrs.  

Do you know how there are transitional scenes or episodes in a play or tv series? They are necessary to move along the plot but aren’t the most dramatic moments. Well, this third meeting was very much in that vein. We had work to do.

Our primary task was to develop the assessment criteria we will use to compare health care models we are considering for further study. Prior to the meeting, we were provided with a detailed list of potential assessment criteria to respond to.

Update January 22, 2020: Two insulin cost bills Health Care for All Washington worked to get introduced and testified for cleared the first legislative hurdle and unanimously passed the Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee! HCFA-WA board members Marcia Stedman, Sherry Weinberg, and Ronnie Shure, and our amazing lobbyist Cindi Laws provided testimony at the hearing, in support of the bills.

Check out the video here. Click here to jump to HCFA-WA testimony on SB 6087 - don't miss the exchange between Sen. Rivers and Ronnie! Click here to see Cindi's testimony on SB 6113.

We're excited to see this demonstration of bipartisan support, proving that people can work together to address health care.

Thanks to all who testified or contacted committee members in support. Your grassroots support matters!

Next stop: The bills will now move to the Senate Ways and Means Committee on January 29.

The Ways & Means Committee is responsible for determining the financial impact of proposed bills, such as how much they will cost to set up and administer. Experts will testify to those points, but the committee needs to hear from you as well.

The reason these bills are so important and have such strong bipartisan support is the high cost of insulin. This impacts all of us, whether individually or as members of the broader society.

Your personal story about insulin affordability and its impact on your life will shine a light on the urgent need for these bills. It will be crucial to assuring that the Committee understands the need for these bills and votes to pass them.

★★★Email the Senate Ways and Means Committee in support of these bills here★★★

Thank you - and please join us at the hearing this Wednesday!

Ways & Means
1/29/2020, 3:30 PM
Senate Hearing Rm 4
J.A. Cherberg Building
304 15th Ave SW
Olympia, WA 98501
MAP