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What You Need to Know About Politics and Policy in Olympia and D.C.
Chelene Whiteaker, Senior Vice President, Government AffairsLisa Thatcher, WSHA state lobbyistJohn Flink, WSHA federal lobbyistOctober 11, 2018
Objectives
• Recognize the political dynamics in Olympia and how they will shape WSHA’s legislative agenda
• Understand the major hospital policy issues at the federal level from 2018
• Identify the most impactful federal and state issues facing hospitals for 2019
What to Expect in the 2019 State Legislative Session
4
State Policy & Budget Process
WSHA’s Work
• In 2017-2018 WSHA/AWPHD
reviewed 450 bills
• 2018 Supplemental budget year
• Senate flipped to Democratic
control
• Actively worked on dozens and
dozens of bills in 2018
WSHA Successes: 2018 Policy
• Reasonable charity care law
• Individual insurance market stability
• Stopped many onerous bills:
• Nurse staffing: meals/rest breaks, on-call and restrictions on mandatory overtime
• Mergers/affiliations
• Restrictions on health care entities
• Expansion of liability for wrongful death
WSHA Successes
• 2018 Supplemental Budget• No cuts to hospitals/
health systems
• Rate increase for pediatric care
• Some new funding for mental health and opioids
2019 Legislative Session
2018 elections• All of House up for re-election• Half the Senate up for re-election
Long session• 105 days• Budget year
Current Make Up of House & Senate
Mid-term elections in November!
5048
House
Ds Rs
2523
1Senate
Ds Rs D
State Leadership: 2019
Governor Jay Inslee (D) – 2nd term
Senate Majority Leader Sharon Nelson (D) – Narrow majority (25-24) *retiring, replacement not known
House Speaker Frank Chopp (D) – Narrow majority (50-48)
Senate Minority Leader Mark Schoesler (R) – 4th term
House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan (D) – 5th term
House Minority Leader J.T. Wilcox (R) – 4th term
2019: A Big Budget Year
McCleary (K-12)
Health Care
Higher Education
Capital gains tax?
Culverts?
WSHA Budget Priorities
• Difficult to discharge patients (patients living in the hospital)
• Behavioral health: funding the continuum of care
• Outpatient Medicaid rate increase for physicians
• Increasing the health care work force
• Rural health transformation
• Renewal of safety net assessment program
Policy Priorities
2019 Policy Issues
Improving Access and Helping Patients
(WSHA bills)
Streamlining advance directives
Continue CON exemption for mental
health
Expanding surrogate decision makers
Maintain flexibility and maintain/lower
costs
Restrictions on health care entities
Notice requirements on mergers and
affiliations
Expansion of Ambulatory Surgical Centers without CON
Maintain flexibility and maintain/lower
costs
Nurse staffing: meal & Rest breaks,
prohibiting on-call
Balance billing prohibitions
Expansion of wrongful death
Maintain flexibility and maintain/lower
costs
Restriction on medical debt
Improving Access and Helping Patients
(WSHA bills)
Pharmacy regulations
Sexual assault evidence kits
Opioids
Nurse Staffing
• HB 1715 would have:• Mandated uninterrupted meal and
rest breaks• Prohibited the use of pre-scheduled
on call• Expanded mandatory overtime
prohibitions
Partnerships and Affiliations
HB 1811 would have placed significant new requirements on hospitals:
Burdensome reporting to the Attorney General of almost all transactions –
even simple arrangements, such as contracted services
Require health care entities to divulge sensitive,
proprietary transaction details
Treble damages under the Consumer Protection Act
Singles out the health care industry
Wrongful Death
• The Ride the Ducks accident illustrated limitations of our state’s wrongful death statute
• WSHA and WSMA did not oppose expansion to non-US residents, but strongly opposed:
• Significant expansion of damages
• Exposure for “deep pocket” defendants under state joint and several liability standard
• Removal of economic tie
Medical Decision Makers
• WA law limits who can make decisions when a patient lacks capacity
• Most other states allow more family members or a close friend to make decisions
• Bill ran out of time in 2018
• Will be back in 2019
Opioid Epidemic
• WSHA has worked to advocate andimplement state opioid legislation
• New alert system: Alerts providersof a non-fatal overdose
• Provider reports of opioid prescribing: Helps educate providers of prescribing compared to peers.
• Action: Hospitals need to sign up with WSHA!
Medical Billing
• Bill is expected to significantly limit the ability to collect medical debt
• Concern: medical debt would become a second-tier debt to be paid after all other debts
• WSHA is surveying member hospitals to determine potential impact and inform our position
The View from the Other Washington
John W. FlinkFederal Affairs, WSHA
2018: The Year in Review
• The State of the ACA’s Individual Markets
• Taxes, Budget, Appropriations
• 340B
• Opioids
The ACA’s Individual Markets
• Trump Strategy: Weaken coverage administratively• Ended CSRs• Expanded access to association health plans
• Expanded availability of short-term, limited duration health plans• Reduced funding for navigator program/outreach•New exemptions to individual mandate
• Texas lawsuit against ACA
Taxes, Budget, Appropriations
• Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (Feb) & Omnibus Appropriations Act (March) raised spending caps – funded government through 10/1/18
• HHS appropriations funded health care in FY 2019 (Sept)
• Lots of health care activity early in the year
• CHIP funded 10 years• Low-volume, MDH, rural ambulance, home health payment
add-ons extended 5 years• NHSC, CHC, Teaching Health Center programs extended 2 years• Medicaid DSH payment cuts delayed 2 years• Tax exemption for private-activity bonds preserved
Wait…there’s more…
• Significant boost in funding for HHS rural health programs
• Funding to fight opioid abuse, including rural grants, funds for workforce development programs that address opioid abuse
• Funds to improve the nation’s broadband infrastructure, including rural
• Enforcement of rules governing supervision of outpatient therapeutic services suspended for CY 2017 – 2019
• CAH length-of-stay audits low priority
Opioids Crisis: SUPPORT For Patients and Communities Act
• Would expand and create prevention, treatment and recovery programs.• Authorizes grants to rural hospitals and communities
• Allows federal Medicaid payments for substance use disorder treatment in IMDs for 5 years
• Did not address 42 CFR Part 2 confidentiality rules
for SUDs patients
• Bipartisan, bicameral bill recently passed House/Senate
340B Drug Pricing Program
• Key Questions: How much are hospitals saving and spending?
• House Energy & Commerce Committee (Rep. McMorris Rodgers)
• Series of oversight hearings and reports on status of program
• Several proposals to restrict participation by hospitals
• Senate HELP Committee (Sen. Murray)
• Three oversight hearings
• Litigation
• AHA Pledge
Calendar for the Rest of the Year
• House recessed September 28 until after election
• Senate expected to recess in mid-October or later
• Lame duck session after election
• Continuing resolution funds government through December 7
Unfinished Business: Site Neutral/OPPS
• Proposed CY 2019 OPPS Rule would: • Reduce payment for clinic visits in grandfathered PBDs
• Reduce payment for expanding certain services
• $30 million loss in 2019; $440 million over 10 years
• Our Advocacy• Comments – Deadline September 24
• “Dear Colleagues” opposing rule
• Possible litigation or legislation
• Final Rule November 1
Election 2018: Down to the Wire
A Blue Wave in 2018? What to Look For…
• Historical patterns – first mid-term a referendum on President
• 35 of 38 first-term presidents lost seats in the House; 19 of 26 lost seats in Senate
• President’s job approval
• Voter Intensity
• Generic Ballot – Democrats need margin of 7
• Swing groups: younger voters, college-educated women,
suburban voters
President’s Approval Rating
Is 2018 the Year of the Woman?1998: 1311978: 48
2018: Record Number of Woman Running
256
Preference for Control of Congress
“The GOP’s endangered incumbents this fall – most of whom represent suburban districts where Mr. Trump has turned off voters –must find supporters who will vote for them even though they disapprove of the president.” – Wall Street Journal (9/4/18)
“If you look at our battlefield, 55 districts, the president is underwater in every one of those…across America” – Ben Ray Lujan, Chair, DCCC
“People think the economy is doing well, but that’s not what they’re voting on – they’re voting on the chaos of the guy in the White House” – Glen Bolger, Republican pollster
Commentary…
The Race for the House
• Control of the House fought in suburban areas that voted for Obama in 2012 and Trump in 2016
• Democrats need 23 seats – roughly 60 in play• 24 seats held by GOP that went for Clinton
• Cook Political Report Projections (9/26)• Solid seats: D = 182; R = 147
• Likely/lean: D= 10; R = 51
• Toss-up: D=3; R = 42
• Trend (this week): • House: Democrats gaining momentum
Washington’s Tightest Races – WA 3
• Jaime Herrera Beutler (I) (R)• First elected in 2010
• Active on health care issues, on health funding subcommittee
• Carolyn Long (D)• Taught at WSU – Vancouver for 23 years
• Ph.D. in political science
• Primary vote: 51% Republican to 49% Democratic
• Primary votes: JHB = 68,961; Long = 57,798
Washington’s Tightest Races – WA 5• Cathy McMorris Rodgers (I) (R)
• First elected in 2004
• 4th highest ranking Republican in House – highest ranking GOP woman
• Lisa Brown (D)• Fmr state Representative/Senator • First woman Democratic Senate Majority Leader• Chancellor, WSU - Spokane
• Primary vote: 54% Republican to 45% Democratic
• Primary votes: CMR = 99,689 votes; Brown = 91,738
Washington’s Tightest Races – WA 8
• Kim Schrier, MD (D)• Pediatrician with Virginia Mason in Issaquah for 16 years
• “Health care is my passion”
• Dino Rossi (R)• Long-time GOP activist, state senator, previously ran for Governor, U.S. Senate
• Career in commercial real estate in Seattle area
• Primary vote: 50% Democratic to 44.3% Republican
• Primary votes: Rossi = 73,288; Schrier = 31,837
Battle for the Senate…
• Fight for control in “red” states with Democratic incumbents
• Current margin: 51 – 49 Republican
• Seats up in 2018: 26 Democrat vs 9 Republican
• 10 of 26 Democratic seats in states that went for Trump
• Five went for Trump by 19 points or more
• Possible Dem pickups: Arizona, Nevada, Tennessee
• Cantwell safe
• “Arizona, Nevada, Tennessee, Montana, North Dakota, Missouri, Indiana, West Virginia and Florida…All of them too close to call, and everyone of them like a knife fight in an alley.” – Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
How the Election Affects Health Care
• If GOP holds House and Senate
• Repeal and replace in 2019
• Effort to restrict 340B
• Major deficit reduction initiative – proposals for major changes in Medicare and Medicaid
• If Democrats regain control of the House and/or Senate
• Repeal and replace unlikely
• Protect/strengthen ACA, expand coverage
• Debate about Medicare-for-all
• Deficit reduction effort
What CanYou Do?
Respond to requests for action
Come to Olympia or D.C. to testify or meet with your legislators
Schedule an in-district meeting – consider including your neighbors
Highlight your care improvements
Advocacy Efforts
2018Building Bipartisan RelationshipsUnifying Hospitals’ Political Voice
Electing Champions for Health Carewww.wshaweb.com/whpac
Passcode: WHPAC
Thank You!
Questions? Comments?
Chelene Whiteaker, SVP Government [email protected] 206-216-2545
John W. Flink, Federal Affairs, [email protected] 406.439.1698
Lisa Thatcher, Lobbyist, [email protected]