The bill aims to strengthen public hospitals in Washington State by allowing public hospital districts to enter into cooperative agreements and contracts with other public hospital districts and publicly owned or operated health care entities. This is intended to enhance their ability to provide health care services, particularly to medically complex, low-income, uninsured, or underinsured patients who rely on these facilities. The bill amends existing laws to clarify that public hospital districts not affiliated with nonpublic entities can collaborate on various health care needs, including service allocation, equipment purchases, and joint agreements for service delivery.

Additionally, the bill introduces a new annual coverage assessment for authorized insurers and taxpayers, which will be used to fund the public hospital infrastructure account. This assessment, set at $0.75 per coverage month, will be collected starting March 1, 2027, and is intended to support public district hospitals and publicly operated health care entities in major construction or modernization projects. The bill outlines penalties for non-compliance with the assessment and establishes that the funds collected will be specifically allocated for the intended purposes, ensuring that the financial stability of public hospitals is supported through this new funding mechanism.

Statutes affected:
Original bill: 70.44.450, 70.37.020