Healthcare & Wellness Chair Rep. Dan Bronoske continued his work lowering costs and expanding access with the passage of two pieces of priority legislation off the House floor.
HB 1589 moved forward on Saturday, March 8 with a vote of 73 to 23. The bill sets standards for insurance carriers to negotiate with healthcare providers to incentivize small independent providers to remain in network.
“The way it stands now, providers are not accepting insurance and patients are paying out of pocket,” said Rep. Bronoske. “If carriers do not negotiate in good faith, smaller practices are forced to either leave the network, join a large conglomerate, or close. We know all three of these things are driving up costs and limiting access.”
Behavioral health and Primary Care providers are two kinds of providers most affected by current negotiating standards.
“These types of providers are essential to preventative care,” said Rep. Bronoske. “People losing access to these services could place them in emergency rooms. This legislation is essential to having a healthier population at a more affordable cost.”
The other bill moving forward addressing these costs drivers, HB 1686, passed the House Monday, March 10, with a vote of 86 to 7. The bill establishes a plan to create reporting standards for healthcare entities operating in Washington state to better track vertical and horizontal integration.
“This legislation is still a work in progress, but it’s too important not to act now,” said Rep. Bronoske. “We’re off to a great start and I will continue to work with stakeholders to ensure we’re not overburdening these entities with these reporting requirements.”
The reporting requirements will focus on such things as ownership, subsidiaries, affiliations – including private equity, locations, services provided, provider types, etc.
“My focus is to continue to address healthcare costs and increase access. This legislation will build a foundation for us to make informed decisions shaping policies” said Rep. Bronoske. “I’m thrilled to see both of these bills pass with overwhelming bipartisan support.”
