
OTHER PROPOSALS
We have supported a wide range of solutions to address health care affordability.
Past Policies We Have Supported
There isn’t one solution to fixing our health care system.
That’s why we need a multi-pronged approach.
increasing Accountability Through Fair Contract Negotiations
This bill would restrict big consolidated health systems from anti-competitive bargaining when they negotiate pay rates, to make sure there’s a level playing field that rewards higher-quality, lower-priced providers. This bill attracted significant media attention and educated lawmakers and the public about the unfair contracting that occurs between insurers and providers. While the bill didn’t pass in the 2023 session, the budget directed the Attorney General and Office of the Insurance Commissioner to study the effectiveness of provider price or rate regulation strategies used in other states.

- Fact sheet
- The lawsuit between Premera and The Everett Clinic shows how some providers force insurers to pay high prices and prompts Northwest Health Law Advocates Senior Attorney and Policy Advisor Emily Brice to ask, “If the courts and insurance companies can’t stop price increases, then who can?” Everett Clinics’ spat with Premera ‘lifts the curtain’ on price increases, The Everett Herald, January 10, 2023.
Strengthening Drug Price Accountability
This bill would support improvements to the state’s Prescription Drug Affordability Board, to stop drug companies from unwarranted price increases on prescription drugs. Dozens of patients across the state testified in support of this bill and described the issues they face trying to afford their prescription drugs. The bill did not pass in the 2023 session, but the state budget directed the state Health Care Authority to study prescription drug services and report on the federal 340B drug pricing program to determine the best way to support lower prescription drug costs for nonprofit safety net hospitals and clinics.

- Fact sheet
- Taking on the high cost of prescription drugs one person at a time. A Farmer Secretly Paid for His Neighbors Prescriptions For Years, The New York Times, January 25, 2023
- Half of Washington residents surveyed said they worry about prescription drug costs and 27% say they cut pills in half, skipped doses or did not fill a prescription. Washington Residents Worry About High Drug Costs; Support a Range of Government Solutions, Altarum Healthcare Value Hub, November 2022