Senate Bill 5526 (see our legislative summary here) passed the Washington State Legislature in May 2019, authorizing the Washington Health Care Authority (the Authority), which administers Medicaid and other programs in the state, to procure public option plans in partnership with the Health Benefit Exchange (HBE) and the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC).

Despite federal government subsidies instituted under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), health care is still unaffordable for many people across the country. Colorado is taking a novel approach to address this problem.

In May 2019, Washington state became the first in the nation to enact a “public option” law (Senate Bill 5526) to offer Washingtonians more affordable, high-value coverage options in the state’s individual health insurance market by 2021.