Bill > HB2657

This bill establishes an abortion savings program by creating a new annual coverage assessment on health carriers, which are defined as entities offering health plans on the health benefit exchange beginning in plan year 2026. This assessment, calculated per "coverage month" (each month of coverage or prepayment for health care services subject to tax), will fund the program, with the initial assessment set at $0.82 per coverage month and subsequently $0.165 per coverage month. Health carriers are prohibited from passing this assessment onto enrollees. The bill also establishes the "abortion savings program" to provide grants to eligible organizations that employ healthcare providers authorized to terminate pregnancies, aiming to maintain access to direct patient abortion clinical care services for individuals who are uninsured, underinsured, or unable to use their insurance due to privacy concerns. The program will ensure that identifying information of grant recipients and service providers, as well as individuals seeking services, is kept confidential. Additionally, the bill makes technical amendments to existing laws regarding the distribution of earnings from state treasury investments, specifically adding the "abortion savings account" to the list of accounts that receive a proportionate share of these earnings, with various sections of the bill having different effective and expiration dates.

Budget and Finance

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2657&Year=2025&Initiative=false