On Jan. 15, the state legislature passed Concurrent Resolution 8402 to extend waivers of key state law until the termination of the declared state of emergency or until the waivers are rescinded by gubernatorial or legislative action. The waivers include critical state laws related to certificate of need, facility licensure and provider licensure. It took weeks for the state to put these waivers in place at the beginning of the pandemic. Until the legislature reconvened in early January, the waivers were subject to periodic extension by legislative leadership. While we are grateful that the key health care waivers were always extended, extensions were routinely granted at the last moment on the day of expiration, leading to concern and uncertainty. To avoid this uncertainty and confusion WSHA is seeking a state law to automatically trigger crucial health care related waivers in the event of a future statewide declaration of emergency. This waiver bill – SB 5178 – is one of WSHA’s top priorities this legislative session.
The WSHA Washington State Law Waiver Tracker is available as a resource to track temporary waivers of state health care regulations. Please contact Zosia Stanley at zosias@wsha.org with questions.
