Notice of Senate Passage for Substitute House Bill 2554

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SHB 2554, titled AN ACT Relating to mitigating inequity in the health insurance market caused by health plans that exclude certain mandated benefits, has been passed by the Senate. The Office of Financial Management has identified this bill as requiring a ten-year projection of increased cost to the taxpayers or affected fee payers.

Ten-year projection:

Office of Insurance Commissioner:

Section 1(2) allows the OIC, for purpose of mitigating inequity in the health insurance market, to access a fee on any health carrier offering a health plan or student health plan if the plan excludes, under state or federal law, any essential health benefit or coverage that is otherwise required or mandated by title 48 or OIC rules.  The fee must be the actuarial equivalent of costs attributed to the provision and administration of the excluded benefit. 

Based on current filings, it is assumed that the OIC will assess a fee on at least five health plans. As part of its rate filing, a health carrier subject to this subsection must submit to the OIC an estimate of the amount of the fee, including supporting documentation of its methods for estimating the fee. The OIC assumes that at least one benefit will be excluded that it will impact: 33 non-covered services provided per year in the large group market and three non-covered services provided per year in the individual market.  However, the OIC is unable to estimate the amount of fees that may be assessed.

Ten-year projection prepared in consultation with the following agencies:


The following legislators voted yea:

Senator Steve Conway
Democrat
(360) 786-7656
Steve.Conway@leg.wa.gov

Senator Karen Keiser
Democrat
(360) 786-7664
Karen.Keiser@leg.wa.gov

Senator Sam Hunt
Democrat
(360) 786-7642
Sam.Hunt@leg.wa.gov

Senator Jeannie Darneille
Democrat
(360) 786-7652
DARNEILL_JE@leg.wa.gov

Senator John McCoy
Democrat
(360) 786-7674
John.McCoy@leg.wa.gov

Senator Bob Hasegawa
Democrat
(360) 786-7616
Bob.Hasegawa@leg.wa.gov

Senator Dean Takko
Democrat
(360) 786-7636
Dean.Takko@leg.wa.gov

Senator Christine Rolfes
Democrat
(360) 786-7644
Christine.Rolfes@leg.wa.gov

Senator Jamie Pedersen
Democrat
(360) 786-7628
Jamie.Pedersen@leg.wa.gov

Senator Kevin Van De Wege
Democrat
(360) 786-7646
Kevin.VanDeWege@leg.wa.gov

Senator Steve Hobbs
Democrat
(360) 786-7686
Steve.Hobbs@leg.wa.gov

Senator Marko Liias
Democrat
(360) 786-7640
Marko.Liias@leg.wa.gov

Senator Reuven Carlyle
Democrat
(360) 786-7670
Reuven.Carlyle@leg.wa.gov

Senator Derek Stanford
Democrat
(360) 786-7600
Derek.Stanford@leg.wa.gov

Senator Andy Billig
Democrat
(360) 786-7604
Andy.Billig@leg.wa.gov

Senator David Frockt
Democrat
(360) 786-7690
David.Frockt@leg.wa.gov

Senator Mark Mullet
Democrat
(360) 786-7608
Mark.Mullet@leg.wa.gov

Senator Annette Cleveland
Democrat
(360) 786-7696
Annette.Cleveland@leg.wa.gov

Senator Patty Kuderer
Democrat
(360) 786-7694
Patty.Kuderer@leg.wa.gov

Senator Lisa Wellman
Democrat
(360) 786-7641
Lisa.Wellman@leg.wa.gov

Senator Rebecca Saldaña
Democrat
(360) 786-7688
Rebecca.Saldana@leg.wa.gov

Senator Manka Dhingra
Democrat
(360) 786-7672
Manka.Dhingra@leg.wa.gov

Senator Mona Das
Democrat
(360) 786-7692
DAS_MO@leg.wa.gov

Senator Joe Nguyen
Democrat
(360) 786-7667
NGUYEN_JO@leg.wa.gov

Senator Jesse Salomon
Democrat
(360) 786-7662
SALOMON_JE@leg.wa.gov

Senator Claire Wilson
Democrat
(360) 786-7658
WILSON_CL@leg.wa.gov

Senator Emily Randall
Democrat
(360) 786-7650
RANDALL_EM@leg.wa.gov

Senator Liz Lovelett
Democrat
(360) 786-7678
Liz.Lovelett@leg.wa.gov


The following legislators voted nay:

Senator Mike Padden
Republican
(360) 786-7606
Mike.Padden@leg.wa.gov

Senator Tim Sheldon
Democrat
(360) 786-7668
Timothy.Sheldon@leg.wa.gov

Senator Mark Schoesler
Republican
(360) 786-7620
Mark.Schoesler@leg.wa.gov

Senator Maureen Walsh
Republican
(360) 786-7630
Maureen.Walsh@leg.wa.gov

Senator Jim Honeyford
Republican
(360) 786-7684
Jim.Honeyford@leg.wa.gov

Senator Brad Hawkins
Republican
(360) 786-7622
Brad.Hawkins@leg.wa.gov

Senator Doug Ericksen
Republican
(360) 786-7682
Doug.Ericksen@leg.wa.gov

Senator Phil Fortunato
Republican
(360) 786-7660
phil.fortunato@leg.wa.gov

Senator Hans Zeiger
Republican
(360) 786-7648
Hans.Zeiger@leg.wa.gov

Senator Shelly Short
Republican
(360) 786-7612
Shelly.Short@leg.wa.gov

Senator Judy Warnick
Republican
(360) 786-7624
Judith.Warnick@leg.wa.gov

Senator Curtis King
Republican
(360) 786-7626
Curtis.King@leg.wa.gov

Senator Randi Becker
Republican
(360) 786-7602
Randi.Becker@leg.wa.gov

Senator Ann Rivers
Republican
(360) 786-7634
Ann.Rivers@leg.wa.gov

Senator Steve O'Ban
Republican
(360) 786-7654
Steve.OBan@leg.wa.gov

Senator Jeff Holy
Republican
(360) 786-7610
Jeff.Holy@leg.wa.gov

Senator John Braun
Republican
(360) 786-7638
John.Braun@leg.wa.gov

Senator Sharon Brown
Republican
(360) 786-7614
Sharon.Brown@leg.wa.gov

Senator Lynda Wilson
Republican
(360) 786-7632
Lynda.Wilson@leg.wa.gov

Senator Keith Wagoner
Republican
(360) 786-7676
Keith.Wagoner@leg.wa.gov

Senator Ron Muzzall
Republican
(360) 786-7618
MUZZALL_RO@leg.wa.gov



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