wa-law.org > bill > 2025-26 > SB 6212 > Original Bill
The legislature finds that, in 2021, the United States implemented a universal child benefit for the first time in its history. Evidence from that period demonstrates that the benefit reduced child poverty by approximately 46 percent within one year and produced positive outcomes related to income inequality and childhood well-being across demographic groups. The legislature further finds that the discontinuation of this universal child benefit after one year resulted in a sharp and immediate increase in child poverty.
The legislature recognizes the substantial benefits that a universal child benefit can provide to children and families, including improvements in physical health and immune system strength, increased life satisfaction and overall happiness, greater resilience to stress and economic instability, improved capacity for parental work performance and productivity, and enhanced sense of stability, purpose, and well-being within households.
Accordingly, the legislature intends to evaluate the feasibility and impacts of a state-funded universal child benefit through the establishment of a pilot program in Washington state. The pilot program is intended to assess the effects of providing a universal child benefit to families by randomly selecting 1,000 families whose children are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals to receive the benefit.
The legislature intends for the department of commerce to administer the pilot program and to report to the legislature on its outcomes. The report shall include, but not be limited to, an analysis of changes in participating families' financial stability and net worth following receipt of the benefit, observed impacts on child and family well-being, and recommendations regarding the potential expansion or permanent implementation of a universal child benefit in Washington state.
The definitions in this section apply throughout this section and sections 3 through 5 and 12 of this act unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
"Department" means the department of commerce.
"Pilot" or "pilot program" means the families with children benefit pilot program created under section 3 of this act.
[Empty]
"Resident" means a person who currently lives in Washington and:
Intends to reside in the state, including persons without a fixed address;
Entered the state looking for a job; or
Entered the state with a job commitment.
A person does not need to live in the state for a specific period of time prior to meeting the requirements in this subsection before being considered a resident.
The families with children benefit pilot program is created within in the department.
No later than January 1, 2027, the department shall begin providing 24 monthly payments of $300 per month per child in a participant's family where the participant:
Is a resident of Washington state;
Is at least 18 years of age or an emancipated minor;
Has at least one school-aged child who qualifies for the federal free or reduced-price lunch program; and
Is selected for participation in the pilot program.
Payment options must be available to both banked and unbanked families.
No more than 1,000 eligible households may be selected for the pilot program.
Qualified applicants in excess of the 1,000-household limit may serve in a control group. Control group households may not exceed 1,200 households and shall receive a $20 cash benefit per month for 24 months starting on January 1, 2027.
Qualified and eligible participants must represent geographically diverse areas of the state including eastern and western Washington, as well as urban, suburban, rural, and subrural areas of the state to the extent feasible.
The department shall establish a simple and low-barrier application process. The application must be available in multiple languages and formats, including paper, online, and in-person assistance.
The department may not exclude participation in the pilot program due to, or request information regarding, a person's immigration status, citizenship status, or place of birth.
The department may contract with a third-party vendor to process and approve applications and provide all aspects of operations, including eligibility determination, enrollment, and cash dispersion.
The pilot program shall offer participants information regarding how any other public benefits may be impacted by the receipt of funds from the pilot program.
The department may receive gifts, grants, or endowments from public or private sources that are made from time to time, for the use and benefit of the pilot program, and may spend gifts, grants, or endowments or income from the public or private sources according to their terms.
[Empty]
The department must collect data directly from participants in the pilot program and control group. Data collected may include the following information: Age, gender, race, ethnicity, geographic location, household composition, health, education, caregiving, work participation, income, assets, and household spending.
The department may not collect data or request information or proof regarding a person's immigration status, citizenship status, or place of birth.
Participants, including those in the control group, shall be asked to answer questions regarding how their lives changed or did not change based on the pilot program benefit received.
Participants shall have access to any of their individual data collected. Directly collected data shall be used for program monitoring and evaluation purposes by the department and any contracted evaluator entities. Directly collected data must be anonymized before sharing with any additional noncontracted entities unless the participant consents to their identity being shared.
By December 1, 2029, and in compliance with RCW 43.01.036, the department shall submit a report to the legislature regarding the pilot program and based on its findings, make a recommendation as to whether a statewide families with children benefit pilot program should be implemented, including the appropriate amount of the benefit and length of assistance to be provided. The report shall include:
The number of households participating in the pilot, including the total number of participants;
Geographic information regarding the households participating in the pilot program;
Whether the participating households saw their income increase beyond the benefit amount received;
The successes and challenges of the pilot program's administration during the pilot program; and
Any other information the department deems relevant.
As allowable by federal and state law, state agencies shall minimize, to the greatest extent possible, the impact of cash assistance provided under the pilot program on public assistance eligibility and benefit amounts including, but not limited to:
Other cash assistance programs, including the temporary assistance for needy families program, the state family assistance program, and the refugee cash assistance program;
Food assistance programs, including the basic food program; the federal free and reduced-price lunch program; the women, infants, and children program; and the food distribution program on Indian reservations;
Child care subsidies, including the working connections child care program; the early childhood education and assistance program; and head start and tribal head start programs;
Disability benefits;
Medical assistance programs, including medicaid and eligibility for hospital charity care; and
Legal assistance programs, including indigent defense services, as provided for in chapter 10.101 RCW.
For the purposes of this title, unless the context indicates otherwise, the following definitions shall apply:
"Aged, blind, or disabled assistance program" means the program established under RCW 74.62.030.
"Applicant" means any person who has made a request, or on behalf of whom a request has been made, to any county or local office for assistance.
"Authority" means the health care authority.
"County or local office" means the administrative office for one or more counties or designated service areas.
"Department" means the department of social and health services.
"Director" means the director of the health care authority.
"Essential needs and housing support program" means the program established in RCW 43.185C.220.
"Federal aid assistance" means the specific categories of assistance for which provision is made in any federal law existing or hereafter passed by which payments are made from the federal government to the state in aid or in respect to payment by the state for public assistance rendered to any category of needy persons for which provision for federal funds or aid may from time to time be made, or a federally administered needs-based program.
"Income" means:
All appreciable gains in real or personal property (cash or kind) or other assets, which are received by or become available for use and enjoyment by an applicant or recipient during the month of application or after applying for or receiving public assistance. The department may by rule and regulation exempt income received by an applicant for or recipient of public assistance which can be used by him or her to decrease his or her need for public assistance or to aid in rehabilitating him or her or his or her dependents, but such exemption shall not, unless otherwise provided in this title, exceed the exemptions of resources granted under this chapter to an applicant for public assistance. In addition, for cash assistance the department may disregard income pursuant to RCW 74.08A.230 and 74.12.350. Any cash assistance a person receives from the families with children benefit pilot program as provided for in section 3 of this act or any guaranteed basic income program operated by a government or private entity may not be considered in determining a person's initial or ongoing eligibility for public assistance.
If, under applicable federal requirements, the state has the option of considering property in the form of lump sum compensatory awards or related settlements received by an applicant or recipient as income or as a resource, the department shall consider such property to be a resource.
"Need" means the difference between the applicant's or recipient's standards of assistance for himself or herself and the dependent members of his or her family, as measured by the standards of the department, and value of all nonexempt resources and nonexempt income received by or available to the applicant or recipient and the dependent members of his or her family.
"Public assistance" or "assistance" means public aid to persons in need thereof for any cause, including services, medical care, assistance grants, disbursing orders, work relief, benefits under RCW 74.62.030 and 43.185C.220, and federal aid assistance.
"Recipient" means any person receiving assistance and in addition those dependents whose needs are included in the recipient's assistance.
"Resource" means any asset, tangible or intangible, owned by or available to the applicant at the time of application, which can be applied toward meeting the applicant's need, either directly or by conversion into money or its equivalent. The department may by rule designate resources that an applicant may retain and not be ineligible for public assistance because of such resources. Exempt resources shall include, but are not limited to:
A home that an applicant, recipient, or their dependents is living in, including the surrounding property;
Household furnishings and personal effects;
One motor vehicle, other than a motor home, that is used and useful;
A motor vehicle necessary to transport a household member with a physical disability. This exclusion is limited to one vehicle per person with a physical disability;
Retirement funds, pension plans, and retirement accounts;
All other resources, including any excess of values exempted, not to exceed $12,000 or other limit as set by the department, to be consistent with limitations on resources and exemptions necessary for federal aid assistance;
Applicants for or recipients of benefits under RCW 74.62.030 and referrals under RCW 74.04.805 shall have their eligibility based on resource limitations consistent with the temporary assistance for needy families program rules adopted by the department; and
If an applicant for or recipient of public assistance possesses property and belongings in excess of the ceiling value, such value shall be used in determining the need of the applicant or recipient, except that: (i) The department may exempt resources or income when the income and resources are determined necessary to the applicant's or recipient's restoration to independence, to decrease the need for public assistance, or to aid in rehabilitating the applicant or recipient or a dependent of the applicant or recipient; and (ii) the department may provide grant assistance for a period not to exceed nine months from the date the agreement is signed pursuant to this section to persons who are otherwise ineligible because of excess real property owned by such persons when they are making a good faith effort to dispose of that property if:
(A) The applicant or recipient signs an agreement to repay the lesser of the amount of aid received or the net proceeds of such sale;
(B) If the owner of the excess property ceases to make good faith efforts to sell the property, the entire amount of assistance may become an overpayment and a debt due the state and may be recovered pursuant to RCW 43.20B.630;
(C) Applicants and recipients are advised of their right to a fair hearing and afforded the opportunity to challenge a decision that good faith efforts to sell have ceased, prior to assessment of an overpayment under this section; and
(D) At the time assistance is authorized, the department files a lien without a sum certain on the specific property.
"Secretary" means the secretary of social and health services.
"Standards of assistance" means the level of income required by an applicant or recipient to maintain a level of living specified by the department.
[Empty]
"Victim of human trafficking" means a noncitizen and any qualifying family members who have:
Filed or are preparing to file an application for T nonimmigrant status with the appropriate federal agency pursuant to 8 U.S.C. Sec. 1101(a)(15)(T), as it existed on January 1, 2020;
Filed or are preparing to file an application with the appropriate federal agency for status pursuant to 8 U.S.C. Sec. 1101(a)(15)(U), as it existed on January 1, 2020; or
Been harmed by either any violation of chapter 9A.40 or 9.68A RCW, or both, or by substantially similar crimes under federal law or the laws of any other state, and who:
(A) Are otherwise taking steps to meet the conditions for federal benefits eligibility under 22 U.S.C. Sec. 7105, as it existed on January 1, 2020; or
(B) Have filed or are preparing to file an application with the appropriate federal agency for status under 8 U.S.C. Sec. 1158.
b. [Empty]
i. "Qualifying family member" means:
(A) A victim's spouse and children; and
(B) When the victim is under 21 years of age, a victim's parents and unmarried siblings under the age of 18.
ii. "Qualifying family member" does not include a family member who has been charged with or convicted of attempt, conspiracy, solicitation, or commission of any crime referenced in this subsection or described under 8 U.S.C. Sec. 1101(a)(15)(T) or (U) as either existed on January 1, 2020, when the crime is against a spouse who is a victim of human trafficking or against the child of a victim of human trafficking.
For purposes of determining eligibility for public assistance and participation levels in the cost of medical care, the department shall exempt restitution payments made to people of Japanese and Aleut ancestry pursuant to the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 and the Aleutian and Pribilof Island Restitution Act passed by congress, P.L. 100-383, including all income and resources derived therefrom.
In the construction of words and phrases used in this title, the singular number shall include the plural, the masculine gender shall include both the feminine and neuter genders, and the present tense shall include the past and future tenses, unless the context thereof shall clearly indicate to the contrary.
For the early childhood education and assistance program, the department may not consider any cash assistance a person receives from the families with children benefit pilot program created in section 3 of this act or any guaranteed basic income program operated by a government or private entity in determining family income or a child's eligibility.
It is the intent of the legislature to increase working families' access to affordable, high quality child care and to support the expansion of the workforce to support businesses and the statewide economy.
A family is eligible for working connections child care when the household's annual income is at or below 60 percent of the state median income adjusted for family size and:
The child receiving care is: (i) Less than 13 years of age; or (ii) less than 19 years of age and has a verified special need according to department rule or is under court supervision; and
The household meets all other program eligibility requirements established in this chapter or in rule by the department as authorized by RCW 43.216.055 or 43.216.065 or any other authority granted by this chapter.
Beginning July 1, 2029, a family is eligible for working connections child care when the household's annual income is above 60 percent and at or below 75 percent of the state median income adjusted for family size and:
The child receiving care is: (i) Less than 13 years of age; or (ii) less than 19 years of age and has a verified special need according to department rule or is under court supervision; and
The household meets all other program eligibility requirements established in this chapter or in rule by the department as authorized by RCW 43.216.055 or 43.216.065 or any other authority granted by this chapter.
Beginning July 1, 2031, and subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, a family is eligible for working connections child care when the household's annual income is above 75 percent of the state median income and is at or below 85 percent of the state median income adjusted for family size and:
The child receiving care is: (i) Less than 13 years of age; or (ii) less than 19 years of age and has a verified special need according to department rule or is under court supervision; and
The household meets all other program eligibility requirements established in this chapter or in rule by the department as authorized by RCW 43.216.055 or 43.216.065 or any other authority granted by this chapter.
Beginning November 1, 2024, when an applicant or consumer is a member of an assistance unit that is eligible for or receiving basic food benefits under the federal supplemental nutrition assistance program or the state food assistance program the department must determine that the household income eligibility requirements in this section are met.
The department must adopt rules to implement this section, including an income phase-out eligibility period.
The department may not consider the citizenship status of an applicant or consumer's child when determining eligibility for working connections child care benefits.
The income eligibility requirements in subsections (2) through (4) of this section do not apply to households eligible for the working connections child care program under RCW 43.216.808 and 43.216.814.
The department may not consider any cash assistance a person receives from the families with children benefit pilot program created in section 3 of this act or any guaranteed basic income program operated by a government or private entity in determining a person's initial or ongoing eligibility or copayment.
The following definitions shall be applied in connection with this chapter:
All income and resources of each parent's household shall be disclosed and considered by the court when the court determines the child support obligation of each parent. Only the income of the parents of the children whose support is at issue shall be calculated for purposes of calculating the basic support obligation. Income and resources of any other person shall not be included in calculating the basic support obligation.
Tax returns for the preceding two years and current paystubs shall be provided to verify income and deductions. Other sufficient verification shall be required for income and deductions which do not appear on tax returns or paystubs.
Except as specifically excluded in subsection (4) of this section, monthly gross income shall include income from any source, including:
Salaries;
Wages;
Commissions;
Deferred compensation;
Overtime, except as excluded for income in subsection (4)(j) of this section;
Contract-related benefits;
Income from second jobs, except as excluded for income in subsection (4)(j) of this section;
Dividends;
Trust income;
Severance pay;
Annuities;
Capital gains;
Pension retirement benefits;
Workers' compensation;
Unemployment benefits;
Maintenance actually received;
Bonuses;
Social security benefits;
Disability insurance benefits; and
Income from self-employment, rent, royalties, contracts, proprietorship of a business, or joint ownership of a partnership or closely held corporation.
The following income and resources shall be disclosed but shall not be included in gross income:
Income of a new spouse or new domestic partner or income of other adults in the household;
Child support received from other relationships;
Gifts and prizes;
Temporary assistance for needy families;
Supplemental security income;
Aged, blind, or disabled assistance benefits;
Pregnant women assistance benefits;
Food stamps;
Overtime or income from second jobs beyond 40 hours per week averaged over a 12-month period worked to provide for a current family's needs, to retire past relationship debts, or to retire child support debt, when the court finds the income will cease when the party has paid off his or her debts.
Receipt of income and resources from temporary assistance for needy families, supplemental security income, aged, blind, or disabled assistance benefits, and food stamps shall not be a reason to deviate from the standard calculation.
The following expenses shall be disclosed and deducted from gross monthly income to calculate net monthly income:
Federal and state income taxes;
Federal insurance contributions act deductions;
Mandatory pension plan payments;
Mandatory union or professional dues;
Other mandatory state deductions, such as mandatory state insurance premiums actually paid, including for the paid family and medical leave program and long-term services and supports trust program;
State industrial insurance premiums;
Court-ordered maintenance to the extent actually paid;
Up to $5,000 per year in voluntary retirement contributions actually made if the contributions show a pattern of contributions during the one-year period preceding the action establishing the child support order unless there is a determination that the contributions were made for the purpose of reducing child support; and
Items deducted from gross income under this subsection shall not be a reason to deviate from the standard calculation.
The court shall impute income to a parent when the parent is voluntarily unemployed or voluntarily underemployed. The court shall determine whether the parent is voluntarily underemployed or voluntarily unemployed based upon that parent's assets, residence, employment and earnings history, job skills, educational attainment, literacy, health, age, criminal record, dependency court obligations, and other employment barriers, record of seeking work, the local job market, the availability of employers willing to hire the parent, the prevailing earnings level in the local community, or any other relevant factors. A court shall not impute income to a parent who is gainfully employed on a full-time basis, unless the court finds that the parent is voluntarily underemployed and finds that the parent is purposely underemployed to reduce the parent's child support obligation. Income shall not be imputed for an unemployable parent. Income shall not be imputed to a parent to the extent the parent is unemployed or significantly underemployed due to the parent's efforts to comply with court-ordered reunification efforts under chapter 13.34 RCW or under a voluntary placement agreement with an agency supervising the child.
Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, in the absence of records of a parent's actual earnings, the court shall impute a parent's income in the following order of priority:
Full-time earnings at the current rate of pay;
Full-time earnings at the historical rate of pay based on reliable information, such as employment security department data;
Full-time earnings at a past rate of pay where information is incomplete or sporadic;
Earnings of 32 hours per week at minimum wage in the jurisdiction where the parent resides if the parent is on or recently coming off temporary assistance for needy families or recently coming off aged, blind, or disabled assistance benefits, pregnant women assistance benefits, essential needs and housing support, supplemental security income, or disability, has recently been released from incarceration, or is a recent high school graduate. Imputation of earnings at 32 hours per week under this subsection is a rebuttable presumption;
Full-time earnings at minimum wage in the jurisdiction where the parent resides if the parent has a recent history of minimum wage earnings, has never been employed and has no earnings history, or has no significant earnings history;
No hospital or its medical staff shall adopt or maintain admission practices or policies which result in:
A significant reduction in the proportion of patients who have no third-party coverage and who are unable to pay for hospital services;
A significant reduction in the proportion of individuals admitted for inpatient hospital services for which payment is, or is likely to be, less than the anticipated charges for or costs of such services; or
The refusal to admit patients who would be expected to require unusually costly or prolonged treatment for reasons other than those related to the appropriateness of the care available at the hospital.
No hospital shall adopt or maintain practices or policies which would deny access to emergency care based on ability to pay. No hospital which maintains an emergency department shall transfer a patient with an emergency medical condition or who is in active labor unless the transfer is performed at the request of the patient or is due to the limited medical resources of the transferring hospital. Hospitals must make transfers to other hospitals in such circumstances and as promptly as dictated by the standard of care and follow reasonable procedures in making transfers to other hospitals including confirmation of acceptance of the transfer by the receiving hospital.
The department shall develop definitions by rule, as appropriate, for subsection (1) of this section and, with reference to federal requirements, subsection (2) of this section. The department shall monitor hospital compliance with subsections (1) and (2) of this section. The department shall report individual instances of possible noncompliance to the state attorney general or the appropriate federal agency.
The department shall establish and maintain by rule, consistent with the definition of charity care in RCW 70.170.020, the following:
Uniform procedures, data requirements, and criteria for identifying patients receiving charity care; and
A definition of residual bad debt including reasonable and uniform standards for collection procedures to be used in efforts to collect the unpaid portions of hospital charges that are the patient's responsibility.
For the purpose of providing charity care, each hospital shall develop, implement, and maintain a policy which shall enable indigent persons access to charity care. The policy shall include procedures for identifying patients who may be eligible for health care coverage through medical assistance programs under chapter 74.09 RCW or the Washington health benefit exchange and actively assisting patients to apply for any available coverage. If a hospital determines that a patient or their guarantor is qualified for retroactive health care coverage through the medical assistance programs under chapter 74.09 RCW, a hospital shall assist the patient or guarantor with applying for such coverage. If a hospital determines that a patient or their guarantor qualifies for retroactive health care coverage through the medical assistance programs under chapter 74.09 RCW, a hospital is not obligated to provide charity care under this section to any patient or their guarantor if the patient or their guarantor fails to make reasonable efforts to cooperate with the hospital's efforts to assist them in applying for such coverage. Hospitals may not impose application procedures for charity care or for assistance with retroactive coverage applications which place an unreasonable burden upon the patient or guarantor, taking into account any physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory deficiencies, or language barriers which may hinder the responsible party's capability of complying with application procedures. It is an unreasonable burden to require a patient to apply for any state or federal program where the patient is obviously or categorically ineligible or has been deemed ineligible in the prior 12 months.
At a minimum, a hospital owned or operated by a health system that owns or operates three or more acute hospitals licensed under chapter 70.41 RCW, an acute care hospital with over 300 licensed beds located in the most populous county in Washington, or an acute care hospital with over 200 licensed beds located in a county with at least 450,000 residents and located on Washington's southern border shall grant charity care per the following guidelines:
All patients and their guarantors whose income is not more than 300 percent of the federal poverty level, adjusted for family size, shall be deemed charity care patients for the full amount of the patient responsibility portion of their hospital charges;
All patients and their guarantors whose income is between 301 and 350 percent of the federal poverty level, adjusted for family size, shall be entitled to a 75 percent discount for the full amount of the patient responsibility portion of their hospital charges, which may be reduced by amounts reasonably related to assets considered pursuant to (c) of this subsection;
All patients and their guarantors whose income is between 351 and 400 percent of the federal poverty level, adjusted for family size, shall be entitled to a 50 percent discount for the full amount of the patient responsibility portion of their hospital charges, which may be reduced by amounts reasonably related to assets considered pursuant to (c) of this subsection.
At a minimum, a hospital not subject to (a) of this subsection shall grant charity care per the following guidelines:
All patients and their guarantors whose income is not more than 200 percent of the federal poverty level, adjusted for family size, shall be deemed charity care patients for the full amount of the patient responsibility portion of their hospital charges;
All patients and their guarantors whose income is between 201 and 250 percent of the federal poverty level, adjusted for family size, shall be entitled to a 75 percent discount for the full amount of the patient responsibility portion of their hospital charges, which may be reduced by amounts reasonably related to assets considered pursuant to (c) of this subsection; and
All patients and their guarantors whose income is between 251 and 300 percent of the federal poverty level, adjusted for family size, shall be entitled to a 50 percent discount for the full amount of the patient responsibility portion of their hospital charges, which may be reduced by amounts reasonably related to assets considered pursuant to (c) of this subsection.
[Empty]
If a hospital considers the existence, availability, and value of assets in order to reduce the discount extended, it must establish and make publicly available a policy on asset considerations and corresponding discount reductions.
If a hospital considers assets, the following types of assets shall be excluded from consideration:
(A) The first $5,000 of monetary assets for an individual or $8,000 of monetary assets for a family of two, and $1,500 of monetary assets for each additional family member. The value of any asset that has a penalty for early withdrawal shall be the value of the asset after the penalty has been paid;
(B) Any equity in a primary residence;
(C) Retirement plans other than 401(k) plans;
(D) One motor vehicle and a second motor vehicle if it is necessary for employment or medical purposes;
(E) Any prepaid burial contract or burial plot; and
(F) Any life insurance policy with a face value of $10,000 or less.
iii. In considering assets, a hospital may not impose procedures which place an unreasonable burden on the responsible party. Information requests from the hospital to the responsible party for the verification of assets shall be limited to that which is reasonably necessary and readily available to substantiate the responsible party's qualification for charity sponsorship and may not be used to discourage application for such sponsorship. Only those facts relevant to eligibility may be verified and duplicate forms of verification may not be demanded.
(A) In considering monetary assets, one current account statement shall be considered sufficient for a hospital to verify a patient's assets.
(B) In the event that no documentation for an asset is available, a hospital shall rely upon a written and signed statement from the responsible party.
iv. Asset information obtained by the hospital in evaluating a patient for charity care eligibility shall not be used for collection activities.
v. Nothing in this section prevents a hospital from considering assets as required by the centers for medicare and medicaid services related to medicare cost reporting.
Hospitals may not consider money received under the families and children benefit pilot program under section 3 of this act as income and may not consider a patient's eligibility to receive money under the families and children benefit pilot program as an asset when determining a patient's eligibility for charity care.
Each hospital shall post and prominently display notice of charity care availability. Notice must be posted in all languages spoken by more than ten percent of the population of the hospital service area. Notice must be displayed in at least the following locations:
Areas where patients are admitted or registered;
Emergency departments, if any; and
Financial service or billing areas where accessible to patients.
Current versions of the hospital's charity care policy, a plain language summary of the hospital's charity care policy, and the hospital's charity care application form must be available on the hospital's website. The summary and application form must be available in all languages spoken by more than ten percent of the population of the hospital service area.
[Empty]
You may qualify for free care or a discount on your hospital bill, whether or not you have insurance. Please contact our financial assistance office at ...(website)... and ...(phone number)....
b. Nothing in (a) of this subsection requires any hospital to alter any preprinted hospital billing statements existing as of October 1, 2018.
Hospital obligations under federal and state laws to provide meaningful access for limited English proficiency and non-English-speaking patients apply to information regarding billing and charity care. Hospitals shall develop standardized training programs on the hospital's charity care policy and use of interpreter services, and provide regular training for appropriate staff, including the relevant and appropriate staff who perform functions relating to registration, admissions, or billing.
Each hospital shall make every reasonable effort to determine:
The existence or nonexistence of private or public sponsorship which might cover in full or part the charges for care rendered by the hospital to a patient;
The annual family income of the patient as classified under federal poverty income guidelines as of the time the health care services were provided, or at the time of application for charity care if the application is made within two years of the time of service, the patient has been making good faith efforts towards payment of health care services rendered, and the patient demonstrates eligibility for charity care; and
The eligibility of the patient for charity care as defined in this chapter and in accordance with hospital policy. An initial determination of sponsorship status shall precede collection efforts directed at the patient.
At the hospital's discretion, a hospital may consider applications for charity care at any time, including any time there is a change in a patient's financial circumstances.
The department shall monitor the distribution of charity care among hospitals, with reference to factors such as relative need for charity care in hospital service areas and trends in private and public health coverage. The department shall prepare reports that identify any problems in distribution which are in contradiction of the intent of this chapter. The report shall include an assessment of the effects of the provisions of this chapter on access to hospital and health care services, as well as an evaluation of the contribution of all purchasers of care to hospital charity care.
The department shall issue a report on the subjects addressed in this section at least annually, with the first report due on July 1, 1990.
If any part of this act is found to be in conflict with federal requirements that are a prescribed condition to the allocation of federal funds to the state, the conflicting part of this act is inoperative solely to the extent of the conflict and with respect to the agencies directly affected, and this finding does not affect the operation of the remainder of this act in its application to the agencies concerned. Rules adopted under this act must meet federal requirements that are a necessary condition to the receipt of federal funds by the state.
Sections 2 through 5 and 12 of this act are each added to chapter 43.330 RCW and codified with the subchapter heading of "families with children benefit pilot program."