For over two decades our mission has been to establish universal (everybody in, nobody out), publicly-funded health care for all Washington residents.
Barriers to accessing treatment that are baked-in to the practices of profit-driven entities, such as insurance and pharmaceutical companies and hospital conglomerates, are immoral and unacceptable. These barriers produce much unnecessary sickness and deaths, causing untold suffering.
Did you know medical debt is the #1 cause cited in bankruptcy filings in the United States? That’s due to high costs and lack of coverage for so many citizens. Everyone benefits from and deserves affordable medical care that is also universal, comprehensive, and high-quality because health care is a human right.
72 countries around the world have instituted and benefit from universal and publicly-funded care systems. And they spend much less per person than we do in the United States. Can you guess the only wealthy, industrialized nation that hasn't created such a system? Spoiler alert: It’s the United States.
There is no reason we cannot create a health care system in Washington that truly serves its residents.
Through legislative advocacy, HCFA-WA has been successful in passing legislation that moves us closer to universal health care and improves health care affordability and access.
Some of what we’ve done so far:
- 2023: We doubled the funding to speed up the work of the Universal Health Care Commission (UHCC) and supported increased funding for immigrant health care.
- In the 2022 legislative session, eight of our top priority bills passed into law, including controlling the price of prescription drugs and increasing access to health care. In prior sessions, we successfully passed multiple health care bills, including to reduce the costs of insulin and require greater transparency in health care costs.
- We helped lay the groundwork for the Universal Health Care Commission (UHCC), the mission of which is to design and recommend to the legislature a system that provides comprehensive and affordable health care for all Washington residents. Governor Inslee appointed five of our six recommendations to the 15-member Commission.
- We were instrumental in the passage of the Pathway to Universal Health Care Bill, which laid the groundwork for the UHCC, and the Cascade Care Bill.
We build relationships with legislators, Washingtonians, and organizations statewide because working together is the most effective way to achieve our goals.
Join us to support a healthier, equitable future with universal healthcare.
Learn more about us and what’s happening this session.
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