Substitute Senate Bill 5,568 would require the Office of Financial Management (OFM) to update Washington’s state health plan by developing a statewide health resource strategy that explicitly incorporates health-equity principles and leverages existing state health data sources where allowed, the committee heard March 14.

Kim Weidner, committee staff, reviewed historical context: the statewide health plan was first required in 1987 and OFM submitted an initial report in 2010 with updates expected every two years. The substitute bill would modernize the plan, require OFM to consult public and private stakeholders, include a health-assessment, facility-and-service planning, rural health resource plan, and a healthcare data-resource plan. OFM may use the all-payer claims database and other agency data to avoid duplicative collection, subject to state and federal confidentiality rules.

Senator Annette Cleveland, the bill’s sponsor, said health care has changed significantly since the plan’s earliest versions and called for regular updates and an equity focus. The bill sets reporting milestones: a preliminary report by July 1, 2026 and a completed strategy with projections and recommendations by Dec. 31, 2027, with routine updates every two years beginning in 2033. The bill requires at least one public hearing and written comment opportunities prior to issuing preliminary and updated reports.

Patient advocates endorsed the bill as a mechanism for proactive planning to guide access, quality and affordability decisions. The committee did not take further action at the hearing.