State Expansions: Washington

At the close of the 2008 legislative session, Washington made important progress toward making health care more affordable and accessible.

SB 5261 gave the Insurance Commissioner authority to review premium increases in the individual market. Health insurers are now required to submit premium increases to the Office of the Insurance Commissioner for approval before the new rates go into effect. Commissioner Mike Kreidler requested the law because individual premiums were rising quickly without any oversight. For more information, see the Commissioner’s letter to state lawmakers.  

SB 6333 called for the legislature to hire a consultant to model several different health reform proposals. In compliance with the law, the consultant, Mathematica Policy Research, presented its report to the legislature in January 2009. The study found that, of the five reform proposals under consideration, the comprehensive Washington Health Partnership fared particularly well.

These steps toward reform build on the progress made during the 2007 legislative session, when the state enacted a law to expand health coverage to all children (SB 5093).

HB 1569 and the fiscal year 2009 budget authorized implementation of the Health Insurance Partnership and set aside funding for the program. The Washington Health Insurance Partnership was created during the 2007 legislative session to provide affordable health coverage to small employers. The Partnership would have offered a variety of private plans, provided premium subsidies for employees with incomes below 200 percent of poverty, and administered health coverage for small employers. The program was scheduled to begin accepting applications in January 2009, with coverage effective March 2009. However, due to state budget cuts announced in December 2008, Washington will not implement the Partnership, despite findings from the state-commissioned report described above that confirm its potential effectiveness.

Washington Expansion Resources

• Health Insurance Partnership Cancellation Notice (HIP, December 3, 2008)
• Washington State Health Care Authority HIP Cancellation Notice (Washington State Health Care Authority, December 1, 2008)
• Insuring Health or Ensuring Profit: A Look at the Financial Gains of Washington State’s Health Insurers (Northwest Federation of Community Organizations, January 2008) 
• The Small Business Health Care Crisis in Washington: A Survey of Pike Place Market Businesses (NWFCO and the Washington Small Business for Secure Health Care Coalition, December 2007)
• Washington Community Action Network  

For general resources on state expansions, see Other Resources.

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