December 9, 2024

It’s hard to believe we are about a month away from the 2025 Washington state legislative session. WHCA has a solid track record of effective advocacy, and our political action is intentional and studied. Our advocacy for the upcoming session began last summer and fall when our team met with legislative candidates throughout the state to emphasize the importance of skilled nursing and assisted living care in our state’s healthcare system. Those meetings help set the stage for our efforts in the upcoming legislative session.

Washington’s election results were not surprising. Democrats maintain the Governor’s Office and a majority in the House and Senate going into the 2025 session. However, we have a new Governor and there are many new faces in both the House and Senate—all of whom will need to hear from our sectors regarding challenges with the workforce and regarding Medicaid payment policies for long-term care. The impact of the change of federal administrations remains to be seen in this Washington. Governor-Elect Ferguson has already laid out his plan for the second Trump administration and concerns around the potential for federal Medicaid cuts are already making the rounds. 

State Budget Woes

The 2025 legislative session is a 105 day-long session, where a 2-year operating budget must be adopted. The Governor’s Office leads the process and is required to release a proposal in December of each year. The news out of Olympia hasn’t been good in recent weeks—the Governor’s Office of Financial Management is warning of a $10-12 billion budget deficit going into the 2025-2027 biennium. Immediate state government travel and hiring freezes have been put in effect. According to Pat Sullivan, OFM director, the budget situation is dire. Thus, two budgets will be developed by Governor Inslee's office for release in December. One budget will contain draconian cuts, and the other will include a tax package to support current spending. We understand that Governor-Elect Ferguson will also release a budget—and the House and Senate will also prepare plans for release in early spring.

The Legislature is in town this week for Legislative Committee Days. This precursor to the 2025 session, which begins on January 13, is intended to help brief legislators on issues of key importance. Today, the House Appropriations Committee will meet at 4 p.m. and will review 2025-27 state operating budget development. Here’s the staff presentation. 

The writing is on the wall—if we are to avoid rates cuts, legislators must hear from their constituents regarding critically important funding and policy measures, especially during a change in the Governor’s Office and with new leadership in the Legislature. We will be very present and engaged during this time of transition—and that means we need your involvement. 

What's At Stake in 2025 

• Medicaid Funding for July 1, 2025-June 30, 2027: We continue to press the urgent need for an annual rebase for skilled nursing facilities and continued funding of the assisted living Medicaid rates methodology—and it will be a heavy lift in a tough budget time. Due to a one-time rate add-on structure for the first year of the biennium, the impacts of an annual rebase won’t be recognized until the outyears, but if successful, this policy change would go a long way toward systematic repairs to help the system come closer to meeting cost growth. This is a time when budget cuts are likely to be proposed, and we must marshal every resource to fight against this threat.
• Eliminating Barriers for the LTC Workforce: The Department of Health cannot keep up with timely testing and credentialling of home care aides; the additional FBI fingerprint background checks requirement delays credentialling. This year, moving testing to assisted living training programs and eliminating burdensome fingerprint requirements is a priority.
• Playing Defense Against Troubling Proposals: We are already hearing about legislation to establish separate certification requirements for providers specializing in delivering dementia care in assisted living—and the fight regarding extending federal nursing home residents rights standards to Washington’s community-based care settings is likely to continue. While these measures may be well-intentioned, we understand the negative impact on providers and will work to represent your interests in these discussions.

Here's How You Can Help

1. Support Grassroots Efforts: Please work with us to orient your key employees about their legislators and the tools and resources available to help educate these policymakers. Our greatest strength is the professionalism of our provider members, and we’d like to work now to engage your team. Please reach out to Eric Negomir on my team to schedule grassroots training. Our goal is to have everyone oriented by January 13, 2025, the first day of the legislative session.
2. Serve as a Subject Matter Expert or Identify Others Who Should: We have retained an excellent consultant to help amplify our story and our voices with the media and the public, and we ask you to identify key individuals who would make good spokespersons. We will provide training and support. Email Eric Negomir if you are interested.
3. Stay Informed: We are hosting a kick-off briefing on Thursday, January 9 at 1:00 p.m. Please register here and plan to join our team for an overview of the Governor’s budget and of our work in the Legislature for 2025. Please encourage your team members to stay engaged and informed as well.
4. Join us in Olympia on February 14: Mark your calendar now for WHCA’s Have a Heart of Seniors event. We will work with you to schedule legislator appointments and have you join us in a hospitality tent on the Capitol lawn. This important reminder comes before budget and policy cut-off deadlines and is necessary as we work to advance our goals.

How Can I Help?

I am honored to lead this organization and am committed to focused, smart advocacy in the coming days. Please do not wait to reach out—I want to hear from you and support your teams in advocating for the resources and policies that protect the quality of long-term care.

Please let me know how we can help.

Carma