Washington Business Fall 2015 | Legislative Review | Page 29

issue area reports | health care

as specific criteria are met. Health
insurance plans for all carriers, including
state workers and Medicaid managed
care plan enrollees will be included. SSB
5175 establishes covered sites of service
and becomes effective in January 2017.
Similar legislation has been proposed
in previous legislative sessions without
success and AWB appreciates the efforts
of all to find an acceptable compromise.
AWB understands the critical need to
access telemedicine health care services
especially for our members located in
rural areas with limited available specialty
medical services. This bill passed the
Senate 46-0 and the House 88-9.

ESSB 5460

er prepackaged medications
Passed/AWB Supported
In an effort to provide timely access, Sen.
Linda Evans Parlette, R-Wenatchee, sponsored Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill
5460 allowing health care practitioners
in hospitals to prescribe and distribute
prepackaged emergency medications if
a pharmacy is not available within 15
miles of the hospital. This critical access
can lead to positive outcomes during
discharge and avoid lapses in medical
treatment for patients. Timely access to
treatment, including pharmaceuticals,
is essential to solution-based, effective,
efficient medical care. ESSB 5460 passed
the House 93-4 and the Senate concurred
with a final vote of 47-0.

addition, dental-only health insurance
plans in Washington state must now
submit annual reports to the Office of the
Insurance Commissioner. These annual
reports are currently required from a
health carrier providing a health benefit
plan to summarize the specific plans in a
publicly accessible site. SHB 1002 passed
the Legislature unanimously and was
signed by the governor.

2ESSB 6089

health benefit exchange
Passed/AWB Supported
Based on bipartisan public outcry, Sen.
Andy Hill, R-Redmond, proposed Second Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill
6089 in an attempt to create accountability and guidelines for the Washington
State Health Benefit Exchange, the

public-private partnership, known as
Washington Healthplanfinder. 2ESSB
6089 includes additional reporting
responsibilities, such as a five-year
spending plan, metrics and benchmarks
for spending, a strategic plan for improvements in operations and refined
definitions on grace periods and special
enrollments. In essence, it calls for the
exchange to produce a business plan and
annual reports request to legislators and
the governor. The original version of
this legislation included a revamping of
the funding mechanism for the Health
Benefit Exchange, which AWB did not
support. AWB, along with a broad coalition of bipartisan groups, worked with
Sen. Hill and his staff to develop the
final acceptable legislation. This legislation passed in the Senate 41-3 and the
House 96-2.

SHB 1002

dental insurance practices
Passed/AWB Supported

Re p. R i c h a rd D e B o l t , R- C h e h a l i s,
sponsored Substitute House Bill 1002
which directs dental-only health
insurance plans to provide coverage for
an emergency dental condition when
the service is