Bill > HB2548

This bill strengthens health care market standards by requiring entities like hospitals, hospital systems, and provider organizations (groups representing seven or more healthcare providers) to notify the Attorney General before certain significant changes occur, such as mergers, acquisitions, or changes in majority ownership or control. These changes are considered "material changes" if they involve two or more entities that don't already share common ownership or a contracting affiliation, or if an out-of-state entity with substantial revenue from Washington state patients is involved. A filing fee, based on the transaction's value, will be assessed for these notifications, with the collected funds going into an antitrust revolving fund. The Attorney General has a limited timeframe to request additional information, and the transaction cannot proceed until 30 days after the parties certify compliance with such requests. Information submitted to the Attorney General will be kept confidential, with some exceptions for public disclosure on the Attorney General's website. The bill also clarifies definitions for terms like "affiliated with" and "control" to ensure a clearer understanding of relationships within the healthcare market.

Budget and Finance, Justice

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2548&Year=2025&Initiative=false