Our 2024 Policy Agenda
This document describes HCHR-WA’s policy-setting framework for 2024, discusses expected future additions to our policy framework in 2024, and lists the 2024 Policy Platform that was adopted by HCHR-WA sponsoring members at the December 13, 2023 General Meeting.
POLICY FRAMEWORK
Goals guiding our work for 2024
Achieve universal health care in WA State and our nation
Improve health care affordability and access, while driving down escalating industry profits and controlling prices
Advance equity and address social determinants of health, with a particular focus on reducing racial disparities
Defend access to health care through existing public programs, including staving off privatization and monopolization in our current health care system, while working toward a universal health care system
Criteria to consider when “filtering” bills/budget items
Does the issue enhance and support the mission and goals of HCHR? (With specific reference to at least one of HCHR Goals #1-4 above)
Does the issue have a critical mass of advocates, including a core leadership of organizations within HCHR?
Is there a clear and realistic strategy to pass or adopt the policy proposal?
2024 POLICY AGENDA
This 2024 platform includes examples selected from our initial Policy Committee filtering process. Our platform may continue to be refined in alignment with our goals and filtering criteria as the state legislative session and Congress reconvene in 2024. Items may meet more than one of HCHR’s four goals, but have been listed once for simplicity. More details can be found in our filtering document and meeting log.
State Legislative Agenda
Achieve universal health care in WA State and our nation
Support legislative efforts to expand universal health care (e.g., Support continuous coverage for kids up to age 6 in Apple Health’s CHIP)
Advance immigrant health equity (e.g., Expand budget funds for state immigrant coverage programs in 2024)
Improve health care affordability and access, while driving down escalating industry profits and controlling prices
Ensure state oversight of health care entity spending (e.g., Health Care Cost Transparency Board bill)
Address outsized bargaining power of consolidated health care entities (e.g., Fair hospital contracting bill)
Ban abusive health care billing practices (e.g., Ground ambulance balance billing bill)
Advance equity and address social determinants of health, with a particular focus on reducing racial disparities
Ensure equitable access to care in communities, including reproductive care (e.g., Keep Our Care Act)
Support targeted efforts to build health care workforce to address disparities (e.g., Prescribing psychologist bill)
Defend access to health care through existing public programs, including staving off privatization and monopolization in our current health care system, while working toward a universal health care system
Support progressive revenue to invest in public programs (e.g., Wealth Tax)
Preserve existing coverage gains against continued opposition (e.g., Preventive services without cost-sharing bill)
What’s Ahead: Working on 3-Year Policy Vision
Starting in 2024, we propose to embark on a new process for HCHR. In addition to our annual policy platform, we will prioritize and mobilize around longer-term systems change with a 3-year vision in mind. This vision will help us know whether we are succeeding in driving change that significantly advances our mission, beyond the year-over-year progress in our annual policy platform.
The HCHR Steering Committee has been working to craft draft language for the first 3-year vision, which will span 2024, 2025, and 2026. Our statement will take the form:
“Within the next 3 years, HCHR-WA will have achieved major progress toward each of our policy goals by…[list specific progress expected for each of the 4 goals listed above].”
We expect to circulate this language with HCHR members this winter so that we can vote on the language at the Spring General Meeting. Stay tuned for more!
Federal Congressional Agenda
Achieve universal health care in WA State and our nation
Support Congressional efforts to expand universal health care (e.g., Improved Medicare for All Act
Expand state authority and readiness for state-based universal coverage systems (e.g., State-Based Universal Health Care Act)
Improve health care affordability and access, while driving down escalating industry profits and controlling prices
Support targeted efforts to build health care workforce to address access shortages (e.g., Bipartisan Primary Care and Health Workforce Act)
Advance equity and address social determinants of health, with a particular focus on reducing racial disparities
Expand health care to immigrants by removing federal eligibility barriers (Example: Lift the Bar Act: HR 5227)
Defend access to health care through existing public programs, including staving off the privatization and monopolization of our current healthcare system, while working toward a universal health care system
Defend Original Medicare against privatization and underfunding, including by "leveling the playing field" with Medicare Advantage through adding benefits, capping enrollee expenses, and limiting private profits
Non-Legislative Priority Areas
Pursue universal coverage through Washington State’s Universal Health Care Commission
Monitor consumer affordability and price control efforts via Washington State’s Health Care Cost Transparency Board, the Prescription Drug Affordability Board, and the Exchange’s Cascade Care Public Option
Support and increase leadership presence and opportunities for communities of color in health care governance
Promote continued healthcare access through the remaining wind-down of the pandemic public health emergency