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Washington’s Health Care Cost Transparency Board (Cost Board) is working on making health care more affordable. To do this, we need to make sure health care spending does not increase at a faster rate than the economy, state revenue, or wages.
Past health care spending
For 2022, the Cost Board set a health care cost growth benchmark (benchmark) of 3.2%. Health plans (carriers) and providers need their spending to meet or stay under this benchmark to keep any increases in line with wage and economic growth.
According to data provided by health plans, health care spending grew by 3.6% in 2022 — just over the threshold of affordability for that year.
 Source: Health care spending growth in Washington, 2019–2022
Working with carriers and providers to keep costs in check
Although most carriers and providers met or stayed below the 2022 benchmark, all carriers and providers need to meet the benchmark to improve health care affordability in Washington.
In 2022:
- Seven carriers met or stayed under the health care cost growth benchmark, while five went over.
- Twenty-three large provider organizations met or were below the benchmark, while five exceeded it.
The Cost Board is working closely with carriers and providers to more deeply understand the underlying causes of rising health care costs. We’ll be sharing insights into what is driving up spending over the next several months, so keep an eye out for these announcements.
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Bringing transparency to health care spending
The Cost Board publishes annual health care spending reports, which allow people to compare spending between different carriers and providers and see whether they're meeting the benchmark.
The Cost Board is currently analyzing spending data for 2022–2023 and will share its findings in December 2025.
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Have high health care costs impacted you?
We're collecting stories to share how Washington State's efforts to rein in health care spending and the work of the Cost Board can benefit the people of Washington. We'll share these stories with the board members so they can center consumer voices in their work.
We may also share your stories on the Health Care Authority’s (HCA) website and social media. We want to inspire others to follow and support the work of the Cost Board. We won't share anything without your express permission.
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