Level Setting at the June UHCC Meeting
by Marcia Stedman, HCFA-WA Board Member
The June 11, 2025, UHCC meeting was marked by robust public engagement, technical updates, and next steps for the Commission’s work.
A major segment of this meeting consisted of a level-setting strategy presented by David di Giuseppe, the Finance Technical Advisory Committee (FTAC) liaison to the Universal Health Care Commission.
Level setting is the process of ensuring that all participants in a discussion share a common understanding of the context, goals, and expectations, getting everyone "on the same page" before moving forward with a task or conversation.
Attendance Issues
Many Commission members faithfully attend each meeting, voluntarily offering their expertise to this critical effort to prepare Washington for a universal health care system. However, after three and a half years of bimonthly meetings, the Commission has experienced significant turnover in membership. Three of the Legislative seats have been vacant for months, and some members have never attended any meetings. As a result, a major part of the June 11, 2025, session was devoted to identifying decisions made to date and those that still need to be addressed.
In a bid to increase participation and diversity in FTAC meetings, the Commission voted to add an attendance policy to the FTAC charter, calling for the possible removal of any of its members who miss 3 meetings in a calendar year or 3 consecutive meetings in a 12-month period. A similar proposal for Commission members was not presented.
Additionally, in an effort to streamline discussions, the Commission’s Finance Technical Advisory Committee (FTAC) recommended a 6-member working subgroup of 3 members from each body in order to more quickly complete their charge. Unfortunately, the public’s repeated requests to first determine an overarching Governance structure were dismissed in favor of continuing to analyze elements of our state’s existing and overstrained delivery of healthcare. The issue of Governance is especially important given the current Federal uncertainty around the continuation of Medicaid and Affordable Care Act coverage that more than half our state residents depend upon for their health care.
Meanwhile, the Commission voiced support for
- capping hospital payments at 200% of the PEBB/SEBB rate as specified in SB 5083
- higher payments for primary care providers with details deferred to the Health Care Authority’s Multi-Payer Collaborative
- addressing concerns about excluded populations crowding out appointment slots
- Continuing to review governance structures and to revisit the timing and structure of these discussions at future meetings
Next Steps include
- refinement of cost and benefit modeling
- continued engagement with stakeholders and the public
- preparation for legislative strategy development
Near the top of the meeting, Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer reiterated her strong support for universal health care, and discussed the potential for interstate compacts as a strategy to broaden coverage and coordinate with neighboring states, such as Oregon, utilizing Section 1333 waivers under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). She offered to assist in assembling a joint Washington/Oregon presentation on this topic at a future Commission meeting.
View the Meeting Video
View the Meeting Materials
Future meetings
- FTAC - Thurs., July 17, 2-4:30 pm. Topics include provider reimbursement and participation in a unified system. Join us as we track this meeting - details here
- Advocates Roundtable - Tues., Aug. 5, 3-5 pm Representatives of HCFA-WA, Whole Washington, and Washington Citizens Action Network (WA-CAN) will speak about their organizations’ approaches to solving Washington’s health care crisis, joined by UHCC and FTAC members. Members of the public are welcome at this open public meeting in Olympia or via Zoom. Details here
Got something to tell the Commission? We encourage you to:
- Sign up to provide public comment by 5 p.m. the day before the meeting occurs.
- We urge our members to push for a single payer plan in their public comments.
- Read our take on past UHCC and FTAC meetings
- Subscribe to Health Care Authority (HCA) for updates.