2017 legislative review
Health Care
Sheri D . Nelson : Health Care
In what can only be referred to as the legislative session that would not end , the 2017 Washington legislative session offered limited health care policy solutions . The chaos surrounding the attempted repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act within the federal administration created an environment of uncertainty and concern among state agencies , industry stakeholders as well as the expanded Medicaid population in our state . A great deal of energy and effort was spent outside the walls of the Legislature as elected leaders , health care industry representatives , and employers , including AWB , strategized over the potential solutions , struggling to find policy solutions that could be enacted at a state level . The fate of the Affordable Care Act is still largely unknown and as the last special session came to a close , so did some of the fears that the Affordable Care Act would actually be
Sen . Randi Becker , majority caucus chair and vice chair of the Senate Health Care Committee .
repealed and / or replaced . The distraction of the federal politics was a factor in health care legislation being introduced this year at the state level , the majority of which did little to reduce the cost or increase access to care .
This session bills revolved around system fixes from previous legislation and refinements of current processes . Bills included addressing birth control prescriptions , interstate compacts for providers , doulas being made available to incarcerated pregnant women and nonprofits that wish to use dunk tanks and water slides without being shut down by Department of Health regulations . The confusion on the status of federal reimbursements for health care , essential health benefit deliverables , and the fate of state exchanges dominated the attention of all involved in health care .
Legislation that did not move forward yet we expect to see it reappear next session includes raising the smoking age to 21 ( House Bill 1054 ), balance billing ( House Bill 1117 ) and drug takeback ( House Bill 1047 ). AWB opposed the drug takeback bill as we do with all manufacturers takeback legislation . This bill first appeared in the Environment Committee several years ago and was moved to the Health Care Committee . Supporters say this concept will aid in fighting opioid abuse , however , there is no evidence as such for an extremely expensive program .
AWB continues to stay engaged with all health care entities in search of viable solutions for health care costs and access for employers and their employees . Premium cost for the individually insured continue to rise without additional benefits . The federal administration and Congress either need to act or find a way to utilize the Affordable Care Act so our state knows the rules of the game and can once again enact solid , effective health care policies .
38 association of washington business