Washington HB 1881: Creating a new health profession for birth doulas.

Bill Text

AN ACT Relating to material changes to the operations and 1
governance structure of participants in the health care marketplace; 2
amending RCW 19.390.010, 19.390.020, 19.390.030, 19.390.040, 3
19.390.050, 19.390.080, and 19.390.070; adding new sections to 4
chapter 19.390 RCW; creating a new section; and providing an 5
effective date.6
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:7
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds and declares that:8
(1) The existence of accessible and affordable health care 9
services that are responsive to the needs of the community is an 10
important public policy goal.11
(2) The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare both the crucial importance 12
of our health care systems and the inequities that exist and 13
exacerbate harm to marginalized communities, including in access to 14
and delivery of affordable, quality care.15
(3) Health entity mergers, acquisitions, and contracting 16
affiliations impact cost, quality, and access to health care, and 17
affect working conditions and employee benefits.18
(4) Health entity mergers, acquisitions, and contracting 19
affiliations have been shown to result in anticompetitive 20
consequences, including higher prices and a lack of any meaningful 21
H-1145.3
HOUSE BILL 1881
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Representatives Taylor, Macri, Berry, Wylie, Ryu, Parshley,
Simmons, Farivar, Scott, Stonier, Fitzgibbon, Ormsby, Hill, and
Pollet
Read first time 02/07/25. Referred to Committee on Civil Rights &
Judiciary.
p. 1 HB 1881

choice among health care providers within a community or geographic 1
region. These negative outcomes are exacerbated for those in rural 2
areas with few health care providers.3
(5) The legislature is committed to ensuring that Washingtonians 4
have access to the full range of reproductive, end-of-life, and 5
gender-affirming health care services. Yet, Washingtonians continue 6
to experience difficulty accessing gender-affirming care, and health 7
entity mergers and acquisitions in Washington state have resulted in 8
material reductions in reproductive and end-of-life health care 9
services, to the detriment of communities and patients.10
(6) Health entity mergers, acquisitions, and contracting 11
affiliations must improve rather than harm access to affordable 12
quality health care.13
Sec. 2. RCW 19.390.010 and 2019 c 267 s 1 are each amended to 14
read as follows:15
(1) It is the intent of the legislature to ensure that 16
competition beneficial to consumers in health care markets across 17
Washington remains vigorous and robust and that health care be 18
affordable and accessible. The legislature supports ((that intent)) 19
these intents through this chapter, which provides the attorney 20
general and health care authority with notice of all material health 21
care transactions in this state so that the attorney general has the 22
information necessary to determine whether an investigation under the 23
consumer protection act is warranted for potential anticompetitive 24
conduct and consumer harm. This chapter is intended to supplement the 25
federal Hart-Scott-Rodino antitrust improvements act, Title 15 U.S.C. 26
Sec. 18a, by requiring notice of transactions not reportable under 27
Hart-Scott-Rodino reporting thresholds and by providing the attorney 28
general with a copy of any filings made pursuant to the Hart-Scott-29
Rodino act. In addition to ensuring vigorous and robust competition 30
in health care markets, this chapter is also intended to ensure 31
material change transactions result in the affected communities 32
having the same or greater access to quality, affordable care 33
including, but not limited to, emergency care, primary care, 34
reproductive care, end-of-life care including services provided in 35
accordance with chapter 70.245 RCW, and gender-affirming care.36
(2) Notwithstanding the language in this chapter regarding the 37
health care authority's and the attorney general's authority to 38
determine the effect of a material change transaction on access to 39
p. 2 HB 1881

care, nothing in this chapter is intended to derogate from or 1
otherwise affect in any way the attorney general's authority to 2
conduct an investigation, or the process of any investigation, under 3
chapter 19.86 RCW. Nothing in this section is intended to change or 4
affect in any way any substantive law regarding the antitrust review 5
of a material change transaction.6
Sec. 3. RCW 19.390.020 and 2019 c 267 s 2 are each amended to 7
read as follows:8
The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter 9
unless the context clearly requires otherwise.10
(1) "Access, affordability, quality, and equity review" means the 11
analysis performed by the health care authority under section 12 of 12
this act.13
(2) "Acquisition" means an agreement, arrangement, or activity 14
the consummation of which results in a person acquiring directly or 15
indirectly the control of another person, and