Adopted by our sponsoring organizations on December 14, 2022.
POLICY FRAMEWORK
Goals guiding our work for 2023
1. Achieve universal health care in WA State and our nation
2. Improve health care affordability and access, while driving down escalating industry profits and controlling prices
3. Advance equity and address social determinants of health, with a particular focus on reducing racial disparities
4. Defend access to health care through existing public programs, including staving off privatization and monopolization in our current health care system, while working toward a universal health care system
Criteria to consider when “filtering” bills/budget items
● Does the issue enhance and support the mission and goals of HCHR? (With specific reference to at least one of HCHR Goals #1-4 above)
● Does the issue have a critical mass of advocates, including a core leadership of organizations within HCHR?
● Is there a clear and realistic strategy to pass or adopt the policy proposal?
2023 POLICY AGENDA
Note: This agenda includes examples selected from our initial Policy Committee filtering process. Our platform may continue to be refined in alignment with our goals and filtering criteria throughout the state legislative session and as the new Congress convenes. Items may meet more than one of HCHR’s four goals, but have been listed once for simplicity.
State Legislative Agenda
Achieve universal health care in WA State and our nation
● Support state action to advance a universal health care system (Example: Funding for Universal Health Care Commission staffing)
● Advance immigrant health equity (Example: Funding to launch state immigrant coverage programs by 2024)
● Improve Medicare affordability, benefits, and access (Example: Funding to reduce premiums and cost-sharing for low-income Medicare enrollees)
Improve health care affordability and access, while driving down escalating industry profits and controlling prices
● Address outsized bargaining power of consolidated health care entities (Example: Fair hospital contracting bill)
● Improve drug affordability and drive down out-of-control pharmaceutical company profit (Example: Prescription Drug Affordability Board 2.0)
● Support efforts to build and retain Washington’s essential health care workforce by addressing working conditions, pay, and training (Example: Safe & Healthy staffing)
Advance equity and address social determinants of health, with a particular focus on reducing racial disparities
● Improve access to care by expanding community-based care (Example: Dental therapy)
● Defend equitable and confidential access to abortion and reproductive health care (Examples: Keep Our Care Act, Shield Law, Consumer Health Data Privacy Act, Abortion access funding)
● Support progressive revenue to balance our tax code (Example: Wealth Tax)
Defend access to health care through existing public programs, including staving off privatization and monopolization in our current health care system, while working toward a universal health care system
● Defend against cuts to current public affordability programs (Example: Cascade Care premium assistance reauthorization)
● Seek opportunities to strengthen the behavioral health system (Example: 988 crisis hotline improvement bill)
Federal Congressional Agenda
Achieve universal health care in WA State and our nation
● Advance single-payer legislation (Example: Improved Medicare for All: HR 1976, S. 4204)
● Expand state authority and readiness for state-based universal coverage systems (Example: State-Based Universal Health Care Act: HR 3775)
Improve health care affordability and access, while driving down escalating industry profits and controlling prices
● Support efforts to close remaining affordability and coverage gaps (Example: Close the coverage gap for states that have not expanded Medicaid)
Advance equity and address social determinants of health, with a particular focus on reducing racial disparities
● Defend equitable and private access to abortion and reproductive health care (Examples: Ensuring Access to Abortion Act of 2022: HR 8297; Women’s Health Protection Act: HR 3755)
● Expand health care to immigrants by removing federal eligibility barriers (Example: Lift the Bar Act: HR 5227)
Defend access to health care through existing public programs, including staving off the privatization and monopolization of our current healthcare system, while working toward a universal health care system
● Bolster and defend Original Medicare as our single-payer north star (Examples: Expand Medicare to include dental, vision, and hearing benefits; lower Medicare eligibility age; protect against efforts to weaken benefits, eligibility, or permanent dedicated funding)
Non-Legislative Priority Areas
● Pursue universal coverage through Washington State’s Universal Health Care Commission
● Defend Original Medicare against further privatization, such as the ACO REACH program or Medicare Advantage expansions
● Monitor consumer affordability and price control efforts via Washington State’s Health Care Cost Transparency Board and the Prescription Drug Affordability Board
● Support opportunities to improve access to life-saving treatment, such as the WA State’s Total Cost of Insulin Workgroup
● Support and increase leadership presence and opportunities for communities of color in healthcare governance
● Promote continued healthcare access through the wind-down of the pandemic public health emergency
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Health Care Is a Human Right - Washington 