An Olympia Update

I was at Day on the Hill earlier this month in Olympia. It's always incredibly interesting, especially as the make-up of the State House and Senate has changed over the last few years. Healthcare has become a bigger and hotter topic every session. This year is a short legislative session in our state (only 60 days) which doesn’t allow enough time for them to pass TOO many bills that will make us, and our clients, pull our collective hair out in the coming years. Hopefully. Here’s a rundown, specific to the area of healthcare which potentially impacts every employer and employee in Washington.

There's an organization called Let’s Go Washington. They have qualified all six of their initiatives to the legislature, potentially undoing some policies that democrats in particular are most proud to have passed in recent years. I’m only highlighting the one connected to Washington Cares. The general belief is that the legislature will do nothing with the initiatives and believes these will be rejected by voters. There are also initiatives around the capital gains tax, police pursuits and carbon tax credit. Upon verification and receipt of these initiatives, the legislature must choose one of the following three actions.

• Adopt the initiative as proposed, allowing it to become law without a vote of the people.
• Not act on the initiative, allowing a vote of the people in the 2024 General Election.
• Propose an alternative ballot measure dealing with the same subject, sending it?and?the original for a vote of the people in the 2024 General Election.

Initiative No. 2124 concerns State Long Term Care Insurance?????????

This measure would amend state law establishing a state long term care insurance program to provide that employees and self-employed people must elect to keep coverage under RCW 50B.04, allow employees to opt-out of coverage under RCW 50B.04 at any time, and repeal a current law governing exemptions for employees who had purchased long term care insurance before November 1, 2021.

Another potential getting attention this year is a covered lives tax that health insurers would pay to provide additional funding for Medicaid. These additional taxes become pass through costs in particular to employers who are providing fully insured plans to their employees. In 2020 there was a similar bill being pushed through committee that would have funded public health that I testified against. This bill is pretty much the same (same pig, different lipstick). According to those in the know, the bill is purely fiscal and isn't subject to any committee cutoff.

In typical years, our Insurance Commissioner would be pushing bills and agenda that is important to him but due to the mountains of bad press, he’s been essentially black balled. He didn’t resign when called to do so by his fellow democrats and now it looks like no one will do his legislative legwork. The only mention of his work this session is to modernize NACI accreditation. (Which means nothing to most people.)

In November, half the Washington Senate will be up for election with some of those leaving their elected position to chase State offices (like the Governor’s seat and the OIC…) So this is my early and first request that you exercise that American privilege and vote! Real change that we feel and see begins with these local elections!

Thank you to NABIP who helps brokers and agents like me stay in touch with what's happening at the State and Federal level while also creating opportunities for us to speak up for our clients and the employees who use healthcare in our State!