Who We Are
The Health Care is a Human Right Campaign is a grassroots community-labor campaign with the goal of securing the fundamental right to health care for all individuals in Washington State & our nation.
It is made up of supporting organizations and individuals from throughout the state standing together to create a health system that reflects our principles.
Our Principles
We, the people of Washington State, come together to secure the fundamental right to health care for all individuals. It is not a privilege or a commodity. We must act now to create a health care system that promotes public health and the general welfare through laws, policies, and financing guided and shaped by human rights principles.
Universal Access: Everybody in. Nobody out. Universal means everyone has access to healthcare.
Affordability: There are no financial barriers. Everyone can afford to use the healthcare system and access all needed care.
Availability: Full range of benefits as well as facilities and services—including patients’ free choice of trained professionals—are available to all.
Equity: Health care services are delivered in an equitable way, addressing the unique needs and health risks of each human being.
Equality: There is equality for all, without discrimination. The dignity and cultural traditions of patients are respected.
Quality: Each individual enjoys the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, receiving the right care at the right place and at the right time – safe and high quality care.
Participation: Individuals and communities are able to participate actively in the decisions that affect their health, including the development and delivery of health care services.
Accountability: Each part of the health system ensures accountability to patients and the community with appropriate staffing, standards, monitoring and remedies.
Transparency: Information about the healthcare system is transparent, understandable and readily available to all. People have easy access to their personal health information.
Download Principles in: Chinese – English – Russian – Spanish – Vietnamese
Committees
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Works to define the overall strategy and budget of the campaign, develop meeting agendas, and ensure that organizational members are supporting campaign core principles. It is comprised of individuals representing sponsor organizations who are dedicated to the HCHR Campaign. Members will include a balance of labor and community organizations; the committee may expand in accordance with campaign goals and progress.
Co-Chairs: Nathan Rodke (WACAN) and Andre Stackhouse (Whole Washington)
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Responsible for legislative and policy research, producing white papers or model legislation, producing/commissioning/vetting key research reports that advance our campaign, identifying tools and resources from other states that help advance policy in Washington, and analyzing proposals that emerge. The work of this committee includes tracking progress at the state and federal level.
Co-Chairs: Hawa Elias (CHPW) and Thomas Kennedy (Whole Washington)
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Responsible for creating and executing organizing plans at the grassroots and coalition levels to continually advance the HCHR WA campaign.
Co-Chair: Amy Leong (APALA).
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Responsible for following and engaging in the work of the Washington State Universal Health Care Commission (UHCC). The UHCC was established in 2021, and its role is two-part: to recommend changes that can be made immediately to improve access to care for all Washington residents in the short term and to prepare the state to create a health care system that provides coverage for all Washington residents through a unified financing system.
Chair: Jane Grafton (Whole Washington), Shari McEvoy (HCFA-WA)
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Join us in working in coalition with Health Care is a Human Right as we continue our progress at the Washington State Labor Council in support of pursuing single-payer healthcare for Washington.
Universal Healthcare is pro-labor! It allows people to pursue education, change jobs, start a business, and go on strike without losing access to healthcare.
If you are in a union or would like to help our efforts at the intersection of universal healthcare and labor rights, join us on the 4th Tuesday of the month for HCHR’s monthly meeting.
Chairs: Carey Wallace (Whole Washington, WSNA member), Richard Burton (AFT-WA)
Sponsor Organizations
Organizations that make a significant investment of resources (financial, staff, or time), and who, in addition to attending general meetings, serve on committees or subcommittees. Sponsor organizations have one vote at general meetings and appoint a designated representative to give the vote.
American Federation of Teachers WA
Asian Counseling & Referral Service
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance Seattle, AFL CIO
Backbone Campaign
Carolyn Downs/Country Doctor Community Health Centers
Children’s Alliance
Coalition of Black Trade Unionists Puget Sound Chapter
Community Health Network of WA
Democratic Socialists of America – Tacoma
Economic Opportunity Institute
Faith Action Network WA
Health Care for All - WA
League of Women Voters of Washington
LELO (Legacy of Equality, Leadership & Organizing)
Machinists District 751 Retirement Club
NAACP Seattle-King County
National Organization for Women – Tacoma
National Organization for Women – Washington
North Seattle Progressives
Northwest Health Law Advocates
Pacific Islander Health Board of WA
Physicians for a National Health Care Program-Washington
Pride at Work, AFL-CIO
Pro-Choice WA
Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action
Real Change News
Retired Public Employees Council of WA
Save Secular Health Care WA
SeaMar Community Health Centers
Seattle Indivisible
Somali Health Board
Tacoma Democratic Socialists of America
Thurston/Ma
UAW Local 4121
Washington #insulin4all
Washington CAN!
Washington Federation of State Employees
Washington Poor People’s Campaign
Washington State Alliance for Retired Americans
Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Washington Working Families Party
Whole Washington
Our Policy Agenda
Allied Organizations
Organizations that sign on in support of the HCHR principles and are invited to general meetings where they have a voice, but not a vote.
ACLU WA
Aerospace Machinists Union 751
American Indian Health Commission of WA
Asian Pacific Islander Coalition — King County
Asian Pacific Islander Coalition — Pierce County
Casa Latina
Hand in Hand: The Domestic Employers Network
International Community Health Services
Kadima Reconstructionist Community
Metropolitan Democratic Club of Seattle
National Alliance on Mental Illness Washington
One America
Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii
Project Access Northwest
Seattle Indian Health Board
Seattle Raging Grannies
SEIU Healthcare 1199 NW
Temple Beth Am
UFCW 3000
Washington State Nurses Association
Yakima Valley Healthcare Defense Partnership
Recent work from HCHR
State-based bills
Senate Bill 5233 - Developing the Washington Health Trust
Introduced with a record 11 co-sponsors: Hasegawa, Bateman, Chapman, Dhingra, Liias, Lovelett, Nobles, Saldaña, Shewmake, Stanford, Trudeau)
House Bill 1445 - Developing the Washington Health Trust
House companion bill introduced with a great first time showing of 17 co-sponsors: Parshley, Scott, Berry, Doglio, Farivar, Alvarado, Reed, Ramel, Wylie, Goodman, Cortes, Macri, Fosse, Ormsby, Pollet, Hill, Simmons)
The Washington Health Trust (WHT) allows any Washington State resident or business to enroll in a publicly funded, not-for-profit, healthcare plan. Coverage includes medical, dental, vision, reproductive care, mental health services, gender-affirming care, and more. Services would be free at the point of service with no out-of-pocket expenses or medical bills. The legislation includes dedicated funding mechanisms, a transition plan, and a governance structure.
The bill did not advance out of either of the healthcare committees before the end of the 2025 legislative session. Fifteen Washington State healthcare advocacy organizations sent a request to the Chairs of the Senate and House healthcare committees asking for an urgent joint working session to review the Washington Health Trust in the interim before the start of the 2026 session.
In addition, the Washington Health Trust is to be considered by the permanent Universal Health Care Commission as time and resources allow.
2025 Legislation preparing Washington for a universal health care system
WA 2023-2025 biennial budget includes funding for 2 important priorities:
$514,00 for the Universal Health Care Commission (UHCC)
$1.0 million to create an autoenrollment program for those transitioning between Medicaid and the Health Benefit Exchange
SJM 8004 – Requesting that the federal government create a national universal health care program in one of three ways: either create a national universal health care program, pass California Rep. Ro Khanna’s State Based Universal Health Care Act HR 4406 (2025), or grant the Federal waivers that Washington needs to fully implement our own publicly funded universal health care system. It passed the legislature and was sent to the President and Congress as the first state resolution of its kind!
SB 5493 requires more transparency in hospital pricing.
HB 1686 will begin the process of creating a registry to clarify healthcare entity ownership.
SB 5122 enacts a uniform pre-merger notification process.
SB 5084 requires carriers to report primary care expenditures.
SB 5480 prohibits the use of medical debt in credit scores.
HB 1392 creates a fund to increase reimbursement rates for Medicaid providers.
SB 5083 requires that reimbursements for health care services provided to state employees be pegged to Medicare rates (reference-based pricing).
HB 1186 allows hospitals to provide more than a three-day prescription for certain drugs at discharge.
Obstacles to SP in the current context
Lack of direction in the original UHCC legislation to drive the vision towards single payer.
Loss of additional funding for the Universal Health Care Commission due to Federal cuts to Medicaid and Affordable Care Act support and Washington’s $9billion budget shortfall
Advantages for SP in the current context
The current severe budgetary constraints make the need for serious health care reform more urgent and immediate than ever.
The Universal Health Care Commission (UHCC) and its Finance Technical Advisory Committee (FTAC) meetings are open to the public, with opportunities for public comment during the meetings and in writing, and presentations from single-payer advocates in other states such as Oregon.
New leadership at the Health Care Authority is more receptive to the public comments from UHC advocates, and has scheduled an informal discussion with advocates and Commission and FTAC members for August 5, 2025.
One-third of the UHCC members were nominated by universal health care advocacy organizations and are single-payer supporters.
One FTAC member is a strong single-payer supporter with deep knowledge and experience in the state’s Medicaid program, and an active member of HCFA-WA’s Policy Committee.
The state’s single-payer and health justice groups are bonded in a strong coalition, Health Care is a Human Right, that meets regularly to strategize together, debrief Commission meetings, organize public testimony, and publish e-bulletins to share with their members.
Goals for SP movement in WA 2025-26
Continue our active involvement with the UHCC and FTAC, urging them to consider the revised Washington Health Security Trust (or SB5233) as a template for their recommended plan and propose other ways to hasten progress.
Continue working in coalition with other state single-payer advocates and groups.
Expand outreach to Democratic legislative districts and labor groups.
Push the WA Congressional delegation to co-sponsor HR 4406/ S 4817, CA Rep. Ro Khanna and MA Sen. Ed Markey’s State Based Universal Health Care Act of 2025
Push back against the privatization of Medicare