2018 legislative review
Health Care
Amy Anderson : Health Care
With aspects of the Affordable Care Act being debated at the federal level , health care in the 2018 Washington state legislative session focused on the opioid crisis , drug pricing transparency and the individual health insurance market .
2SSB 6150 / SB 6050 / SB 6028 addressing the opioid crisis
Failed / AWB Neutral
With an estimated two people per day dying of an opioid- related episode in Washington , the Legislature unsuccessfully attempted to address the issue through legislative means this session . Second Substitute Senate Bill 6150 declared that opioid use is a public health crisis and would have required impacted state agencies to address the issue in a coordinated manner . Senate Bill 6050 and Senate Bill 6028 would have enacted restrictions on prescriptions for opioids . None of these bills passed . Rule making on the issue throughout the interim has the potential of getting to the desired results that the legislative process did not .
2SSB 5586 / SSB 6147 / SSB 5995 / HB 2501 prescription drug cost transparency
Failed / AWB Neutral
Aggregate costs of health care , including prescription drug costs , is the main driver of health care coverage pricing . Lawmakers introduced several bills in 2018 to address prescription drug pricing . Second Substitute Senate Bill 5586 would have required the collection of prescription drug pricing data provided by issuers and manufacturers . Substitute Senate Bill 6147 would have implemented a cost-effective requirement that ensures patients can rely on the prescription formulary they enter into with their insurance carrier through the entirety of the plan year ; Substitute
Senate Bill 5995 would have addressed generic prescription drug prices ; and finally , House Bill 2501 would have required the state ’ s prescription monitoring program database to technologically align with all federally certified electronic health records .
Cost transparency in health care becomes difficult when addressing one specific point of cost , such as prescription drug costs , within the system . Addressing overall cost within the health care system will continue to be addressed at both the state and federal levels .
ESHB 1047 drug take-back program
Passed / AWB Neutral
Lawmakers passed legislation instating a drug take-bake program . Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1047 requires manufacturers of pharmaceuticals that sell drugs in the state of Washington to develop a program that collects and disposes of over-the-counter drugs from residential sources . While this is yet another financial mandate on a manufacturer doing business in the state of Washington , the public benefit of safely disposing of unwanted pharmaceuticals is important .
2SSB 6062 establishing a reinsurance program
Failed / AWB Opposed
With the federal Affordable Care Act reinsurance program having expired in 2016 , several states , including Washington , have introduced legislation to implement a state level reinsurance program . Bills to address this issue with the goal of stabilizing the individual health insurance market were introduced in the 2018 legislative session . AWB supports employer private market options and continues to encourage research and development of market-based solutions that provide more health care coverage options for consumers . However , the legislation introduced to stabilize the individual market , Second Substitute Senate Bill 6062 , threatened other aspects of the market and AWB opposed it . The legislation failed to pass .
ESHB 2408 preserving access to individual market health care coverage
Passed / AWB Supported
One proposal that did pass , Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2408 , provides coverage in counties where an individual product is not available through the exchange . This product will be offered through the School Employees ’ Benefits Board or the Public Employees ’ Benefit Board . The goal of providing an insurance product to all Washington state citizens was achieved through the passage of ESHB 2408 .
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