Remembering Chuck Richards, HCFA-WA President (2007-2017) 

If you are a long-time member of HCFA-WA, you probably remember Chuck Richards, who volunteered as our President from 2007-2017. Chuck was instrumental in revitalizing our longstanding organization during those years. A retired teacher, he was proficient at connecting with people, finding new volunteers and members, nurturing their skills, and organizing and managing numerous volunteer events.  He passed away last summer after a long battle with cancer. His Memorial will take place on Sunday, June 15th, from 2-4 pm at the UW Center for Urban Horticulture - 3501 NE 41st St, Seattle, WA 98105, and we’d love to see you there!

April 2 Rally at the Capitol! No Cuts - Raise Revenue!

The Health Care Is a Human Right WA coalition, representing 40 community and labor organizations, rallied to demand that Washington state leaders reject budget cuts to essential services and instead pursue revenue solutions. We call to revisit our tax code. Washington is home to 13 billionaires and 17 fortune 500 companies including Amazon, Costco, Microsoft and Starbucks. We call for fair taxation to support state workers, healthcare and other critical public services. Watch the video here!

Speakers:
Patty Kuderer, Washington State Insurance Commissioner
Edna Cortez, RN, Chair of the Washington State Nurses Association
Brynn Freal, WashingtonCAN
Vicki Lowe, Chair, Universal Health Care Commission; American Indian Health Commission
Carey Wallace, RN, Board Chair, Whole Washington
Kim Pollard, WashingtonCAN
Rachelle Martin, President, T-L-M Central Labor Council/WFSE Local 443
Representative Natasha Hill, LD 3
David Loud, Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action & Jim Howe, American Federation of Teachers
Caroline Brotherton, Economic Opportunity Institute and Balance Our Tax Code Coalition

MC: Mohamed Shidane, Somali Health Board

2025 Legislative Session Summary

by Ron Lovell, HCFA-WA Board Member

Over 2,000 bills were introduced during the 2025-2026 regular session, and nearly 300 passed before the April 27th adjournment.

This session we were more effective in using the Take Action Network (TAN) platform to promote our voice to the legislature.  We generated 63 bill action alerts on our priority bills as they were introduced, moved through House of Origin policy and administrative reviews, then through the Opposite House policy and administrative reviews.  Those alerts generated 3,523 messages to the legislature in support of the bills we supported.  In addition our lobbyist, Lonnie Johns-Brown, provided effective guidance to our Policy Committee in weekly action updates with strategic actions moving our bills forward.

Top Priority:  the SB 5167 Operating Budget 

We are extremely pleased that the Operating Budget includes funding to support the Universal Health Care Commission in these amounts: 

• $514,000, with $250,000 of that from the Office of the Insurance Commissioner. 
• $1 million from the Health Benefit Exchange account to begin design work on the "bridge" (auto enrollment into HBE plans for those losing Medicaid funding)
• immigrant health coverage funded at what appears to be current level (likely adjusted to account for medical inflation)

Additional priorities enabled movement toward developing a universal healthcare program.

A total of 14 bills supported by HCFAWA were passed and sent to the Governor for his signature.

"Save Medicare—Level the Playing Field!" - or, Everything You Need to Know Before Age 65!

by Ron Lovell, HCFA-WA Board Member 

The April 2WSS, hosted by HCFA-WA President Ronnie Shure, featured a presentation and discussion led by Robby Stern, Chair of Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action (PSARA), and Anne Watanabe, attorney and Co-chair of PSARA’s Race, Gender, and Equity Committee.  

They spoke about the urgent need to "level the playing field" between Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. The current system gives unfair advantages to private, profit-driven Medicare Advantage plans, and threatens the financial sustainability and equity of Traditional Medicare. You can join in national and local efforts to address this imbalance, protect Medicare, and ensure fair choices for seniors and people with disabilities.

View the video and slides

Key Discussion Points:

• History and Structure of Medicare: Medicare was designed as a universal, public health insurance program for seniors and the disabled, with the intent to expand to all Americans. Original Medicare is simple and equitable but lacks some benefits (hearing, dental, vision) and has no cap on out-of-pocket costs.

• Rise of Medicare Advantage(MA): Created in 1982, MA plans now cover over half of Medicare beneficiaries. These plans restrict provider choice, require prior authorizations, and by often denying or delaying care, create administrative burdens and inequities. MA plans are heavily marketed, with higher broker commissions and upfront benefits that attract low- and moderate-income enrollees.

• Financial and Equity Concerns: MA plans are overpaid by the federal government (estimated $140 billion in overcharges in 2022), draining the Medicare Trust Fund and prioritizing corporate profits over patient care. Racial and income disparities are exacerbated, as marginalized groups are more likely to enroll in MA due to lower upfront costs, but face more barriers to care.

• Trapping MA Enrollees: After 12 months in MA, if beneficiaries want to opt-out of an MA plan, they may be denied Medigap supplemental coverage due to pre-existing conditions, effectively trapping them in MA plans.

Action Items:

• Policy Advocacy: Support legislative efforts at state and federal levels to add missing benefits to Traditional Medicare (hearing, vision, dental, pharmacy), cap out-of-pocket costs, and ensure fair choice between Medicare and MA.

• State Legislation:  Promote WA SJM 8004 that calls on the Federal Government to establish a universal healthcare system or enable individual states to create their own. The bill passed the Legislature this year and is filed with the Secretary of State who will forward it to our Congressional Senators and Representatives.

• Public Engagement: Educate the public about the risks and limitations of MA plans. Encourage donations, volunteering, and participation in advocacy committees.

• Coalition Building: Work with national groups (Center for Health and Democracy, One Payer States, Physicians for a National Health Program) to expose MA abuses and push for systemic change.

We also encourage you to get involved, support HCFA-WA and PSARA, and join the fight for equitable, universal health care.

Governance Tops the Agenda at the April UHCC Meeting

by Marcia Stedman, HCFA-WA Board member

This month’s Universal Health Care Commission (UHCC) meeting opened with approving prior meeting minutes and hearing public comments, before launching into a discussion of governance and hearing a report on the baseline modelling of 3 existing insurance programs that cover the 3.4 million Washingtonians not covered by Medicare or ERISA plans.  

The meeting closed with a decision to revisit the timing and structure of governance discussions, with a commitment to bring governance models from other states for review at the June meeting, and outlined the next steps to refine cost modeling, address benefit design, and develop legislative strategies. 

Takeaway #1: Public comments are effective.  Thanks to the many public comments throughout the Commission’s 4-year existence, the topic of governance led this meeting’s Agenda.  Thank you, fellow health reform advocates, for speaking up!   This meeting’s compelling comments begin at the 12-minute mark of the Meeting Recording.

Takeaway #2:  The “Round 1” baseline modelling must be followed by more robust analyses that include administrative costs, as numerous other analyses have shown these costs account for 15-30% of health care spending (source). 

1. Scenario 1: All receive Medicaid-like benefits with zero cost-sharing and added dental, resulting in a $3.9–$7.4 billion annual cost increase depending on provider reimbursement rates.
2. Scenario 2: All except Medicaid-eligible receive Public Employee Benefits Board (PEBB) UMP Classic design, with moderate cost-sharing and a smaller cost increase (estimated ~$1.5 billion).
3. Scenario 3: All except Medicaid-eligible receive Cascade Care Silver design, with higher cost-sharing, resulting in a roughly cost-neutral outcome but reduced benefits for many.

Takeaway #3: Removing cost barriers increases system costs but improves patient health; maintaining barriers lowers system costs but risks harming patient health.

Bottom line: The key to designing a health system that improves patient health and well-being while also ensuring that system costs are sustainable lies in reducing administrative costs system-wide, to the greatest extent possible.  And so, we come full circle to the overarching importance of getting governance right and the urgent need for the Commission to begin working in earnest on its charge to design a universal health care system for Washington with unified financing. 

Save the date and join us at the next UHCC meeting on Wednesday, June 11th, from 2–5 p.m., when HCFA-WA is scheduled to present the Governance model outlined in our Washington Health Security Trust proposal.

And, join us on Thursday, May 15, from 2-4:30 pm, as we track the next meeting of the FTAC 

We encourage you to:

• Sign up to provide public comment by 5 p.m. the day before the meeting occurs.
• Tell your health care story and/or push for a single payer plan in your public comments.
• Read our take on past UHCC and FTAC meetings
• Subscribe to Health Care Authority (HCA) for updates.