WSCA sets its primary agenda based those bills with the greatest potential impact to chiropractic. These bills are detailed below.

3/1/06: The lobbying day in Olympia with Lori scheduled for this Thursday, March 2nd, has been cancelled, due to the regrettable deaths of HB 2942 and HB 2943.

THANK YOU everyone for your TREMENDOUS EFFORTS! Doctor participation was greater than ever and had a huge impact!

A detailed summary of this year’s session will be available in the next issue of Plexus and here on the WSCA website - stay tuned.

We gained new friends, and the greatest bi-partisan effort ever! Though these bills did not receive enough votes to move of the Senate Ways and Means Committee by cutoff, the fight is not over! The WSCA Board of Directors will continue to work these issues with the insurers and other professions who supported our efforts over the interim in preparation for the 2007 legislative session. We will also begin preparing for the election cycle in early April, and legislative voting records will be heavily considered!

WHAT CAN YOU DO NOW?

-Attend Summer Conference, where you will receive a detailed accounting of session.
- Attend Membership Meetings in your district, held over the spring and summer
- STAY CONNECTED TO WSCA! Your membership ensures you stay in the loop on these important issues!

2/23/06: A hearing was held on Wednesday, February 22, at 8:00am for HB 2942 and HB 2943 . It was a tough hearing since the opponents had groups testifying against the bill who will not be affected by the bill. Additionally, the Health Care Authority has also started actively opposing the bills even after making the changes that they asked for in the House.

We are in a huge political fight now and calls must be made to your Senators asking them to support the two bills.

Senate Phone Roster >>

Please use these sheets when calling your Senators to assist in making your points:
ESHB 2942 and ESHB 2943 Fact Sheet
ESHB 2942 and ESHB 2943 Q&A Sheet

Our friends who are also supporing these bills include the Physical Therapy Association of WA, American Massage Therapy Association, WA Chapter, WA State Podiatric Medical Association, WA State Nurses Association, ARNP's United, Optometric Physicians of WA, Washington Association of Naturopathic Physicians.

2/21/06: HB 2942 and HB 2943 are scheduled for hearings in the Senate Health and Long Term Care Commitee on Wed., Feb. 22.

2/14/06: HB 2942 and HB 2943 have both passed the House! It's now time to switch gears and get the phones ringing off the hook in the Senate! Please call your Senators and ask them to support HB 2942 and HB 2943.

HB 2942 Concerning contracts of health care providers; Preventing unfair competition.
Representatives Curtis, Morrell, Campbell, Cody, Green, Clibborn, Kessler, Serben, Rodne, Moeller, McCune, Hasegawa

2/13/06: HB 2942 passed the House 73 yeas, 25 nays

ESHB 2942, House vote on Final Passage, 2/13/2006
Yeas: 73 Nays: 25 Absent: 0 Excused: 0

Voting Yea: Representatives Anderson, Appleton, Blake, Buck, Buri, Campbell, Chase, Clibborn, Cody, Conway, Crouse, Curtis, Darneille, Dickerson, Dunshee, Eickmeyer, Ericks, Flannigan, Fromhold, Grant, Green, Haigh, Haler, Hankins, Hasegawa, Hudgins, Hunt, Hunter, Jarrett, Kagi, Kenney, Kessler, Kilmer, Kirby, Lantz, Linville, Lovick, McCoy, McCune, McDermott, McDonald, McIntire, Miloscia, Morrell, Morris, Murray, O'Brien, Orcutt, Ormsby, Pearson, Pettigrew, Priest, Quall, Roach, Roberts, Rodne, Santos, Schindler, Schual-Berke, Sells, Serben, Shabro, Simpson, Sommers, Sullivan, B., Sullivan, P., Takko, Upthegrove, Wallace, Walsh, Williams, Wood, and Mr. Speaker.

Voting Nay: Representatives Ahern, Alexander, Armstrong, Bailey, Chandler, Clements, Condotta, Cox, DeBolt, Dunn, Ericksen, Hinkle, Holmquist, Kretz, Kristiansen, Moeller, Newhouse, Nixon, Skinner, Springer, Strow, Sump, Talcott, Tom, and Woods.

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This bill requires insurance companies with very large market shares to contract with local health care providers who meet the company’s credentialing standards. This requirement only applies to insurers who have more than 40% of the market and only as long as the insurer keeps 40% or more of the market. Without this requirement large insurers can abuse their market power by forcing local practitioners to accept poor contract terms or face exclusion from the local network.

2/2/06: HB 2942 passed the House Healthcare Committee with this additional language:

1. Adding that a carrier may charge the provider a reasonable fee for credentialing, as long as the fees are equally applied to all professions; and
2. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner will effectuate rules regarding “local service area.”

HB2943 Modifying health care provider contract requirements; Discrimination against certain providers.
Representatives Cody, Curtis, Morrell, Campbell, Green, Clibborn, Kessler, Serben, Rodne, Roach, Moeller, Buri, Pearson, McCune, Appleton, Kenney, Hasegawa, Dunn

2/11/06: HB 2943 passed the House with 73 yeas, 22 nays

ESHB 2943, House vote on Final Passage, 2/11/2006
Yeas: 73 Nays: 22 Absent: 0 Excused: 3

Voting Yea: Representatives Appleton, Armstrong, Blake, Buck, Buri, Campbell, Chase, Clibborn, Cody, Conway, Curtis, Darneille, DeBolt, Dickerson, Dunshee, Eickmeyer, Ericks, Flannigan, Grant, Green, Haigh, Haler, Hankins, Hasegawa, Hudgins, Hunt, Hunter, Jarrett, Kagi, Kenney, Kessler, Kilmer, Kirby, Kretz, Kristiansen, Lantz, Linville, Lovick, McCoy, McCune, McDermott, McDonald, McIntire, Miloscia, Morrell, Morris, Murray, O'Brien, Orcutt, Ormsby, Pearson, Pettigrew, Priest, Roach, Roberts, Rodne, Santos, Sells, Serben, Shabro, Simpson, Sommers, Sullivan, B., Sullivan, P., Sump, Takko, Upthegrove, Wallace, Walsh, Williams, Wood, Woods, and Mr. Speaker.

Voting Nay: Representatives Ahern, Alexander, Anderson, Bailey, Chandler, Clements, Condotta, Cox, Crouse, Dunn, Ericksen, Hinkle, Holmquist, Moeller, Newhouse, Nixon, Schindler, Skinner, Springer, Strow, Talcott, and Tom.

Excused: Representatives Fromhold, Quall, and Schual-Berke.

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This bill prohibits practices that discriminate against particular types of providers. Often practices that apply to physicians are not applied to other providers.
1. The bill would apply to every kind of insurer and to organizations that create provider networks for insurers. Too often, insurance companies’ contract with organizations who “rent” their provider network to the insurer and the insurer avoids responsibility for obeying the law by arguing that the network is not subject to the law.
2. If an insurer allows contracting with any type of clinic, then the insurer must allow contracting with other types of clinics.
3. An insurer cannot refuse to contract with a provider who purchases the practice of a participating provider.
4. An insurer cannot refuse to contract with employees of a participating provider.
5. An insurer does not have to contract with a provider who does not meet the insurer’s credentialing standards.

2/2/06: HB 2943 passed the House Healthcare Committee with this additional language:

1. Providers cannot be forced to participate in all of an insurer’s different businesses in order to participate in the insurer’s health plan.

(NOTE: This item was originally in HB 2944, which did not pass committee. However, this item has been moved into the language for HB 2943 and remains alive!)

HB 2944 Concerning Health care provider contracts;
General Standards for Provider Agreements.
Representatives Morrell, Serben, Rodne, Cody, Green, Campbell, Curtis, Clibborn, Kessler, Moeller, McCune, Hasegawa

This bill addresses several issues concerning basic fairness in provider contracting:
1. The bill would apply to every kind of insurer and to organizations that create provider networks for insurers. Too often, insurance companies contract with organizations who “rent” their provider network to the insurer and the insurer avoids responsibility for obeying the law by arguing that the network is not subject to the law.
2. If a provider contract violates the law, the contract is read as though the contract contained the correct provisions.
3. Every contract must contain a “locum tenens” provision that allows a provider to select a temporary substitute when the provider will not be available to render care.
4. Providers cannot be forced to participate in all of an insurer’s different businesses in order to participate in the insurer’s health plan. (This item moved to HB 2943!)
5. Insurers must allow independent outside review of billing disputes and the loser must pay the costs of such review.
6. Insurers must provide detailed information about the amount and method of paying providers for care to enrollees.

HB 2944 did not pass the House Healthcare Committee by the policy cutoff. However, item #4 from HB 2944’s language has been added to HB 2943

HB 2482 Creating the insurance fraud program.
Representatives O'Brien, Ericks, Kirby, Williams, Rodne, Morrell, Lovick, B. Sullivan, Simpson, Schual-Berke

WSCA is concerned that the definition of fraud is too broad, and that records are confidential. If records are not made public then the accused person cannot establish their defense.