The Seattle Times reports on Washington Health Benefit Exchange’s 2026 enrollment report, which shows an unprecedented decline described as “a potential reversal of once-promising trends.” Monthly premiums spiked for many Washingtonians this year, and thousands have faced the difficult decision to forego coverage. Sam Hatzenbeler, of Fair Health Prices Washington and the Economic Opportunity Institute, asserts, “This is a crisis. Health is fundamental. Without coverage, people get sicker, lose work, lose housing, and lose hope.”

Declining health coverage should alarm everyone in Washington state, consumer health advocates warn. A new report from the Washington Health Benefit Exchange (WAHBE) reveals that nearly 40,000 fewer Washingtonians have coverage through Washington Healthplanfinder in 2026 compared to last year – a whopping 13% drop.

“We have to hold our representatives accountable,” remarks Daphne Smith, co-executive director at Northwest Health Law Advocates and Spokane community member. “We cannot continue enabling the rich to get richer while the rest of us pay more and still struggle to get the care we need. We need lawmakers to take action because they hold power and lives are at stake.” The urgency for state action has been heightened as H.R.1 is being rolled out, which puts an additional 1 in 20 Washington residents at risk of losing health care.

A new national Gallup poll echoes what Fair Health Prices confirmed in a recent survey of Washingtonians: the cost of health care is a huge concern. In fact, it’s the #1 concern in the nation. Sam Hatzenbeler, legislative director at the Economic Opportunity Institute and Fair Health Prices coalition leader, spoke with Public News Service alongside State Senator Emily Alvarado, D-Seattle, about the current health care crisis in Washington state, including the facts that:

• 1 in every 20 Washingtonians is at risk of losing health coverage due to federal changes.
• Premiums on the Washington Health Benefit Exchange marketplace increased by more than 20% this year alone — pushing rates for some families to more than $30,000 a year.
• Lawmakers were unable to pass any significant health care policies during the state’s 2026 legislative session, and WA does not have the funds it needs for current health care needs in the near term.
• Families are skipping or delaying medical treatment because of cost, including 4 in 10 cancer patients.
• People in WA can be charged up to 9% interest on medical debt, creating cascading problems for individuals and families.

KOMO News reported on the tens of thousands of Washingtonians who have cancelled or switched health coverage plans due to rising costs. People in Washington also face crushing interest rates on medical debt — up to 9% — and need lawmakers to provide near-term relief through legislation that lowers this spiraling burden. Emily Brice, Northwest Health Law Advocates Co-Executive Director and Fair Health Prices Washington coalition leader, confirms, “We’re seeing a growing healthcare affordability crisis in Washington and around the country.”

As people are forced to go with less health coverage, additional strain shifts onto underresourced safety net providers and community health centers, Brice notes, and it adds to crowding and overuse of costly care at hospital emergency departments. In sum: federal policy changes and state policy failures are hurting Washingtonians, depleting existing resources, and continuing to increase healthcare costs.

A new Seattle Times investigative series examines Seattle’s 911 system, which includes calls routed to an out-of-state nurse line provided by the city’s ambulance contractor. The call triage program aims to reduce strain on emergency services by directing patients to other options, like telemedicine and community clinics, when appropriate. However serious concerns have been raised about delays, patient safety, expectations, and accountability. Experts worry that 911 system utilization is likely to increase as patients lose health insurance due to federal policy changes.

“What happened to (Hogan) is a sobering reminder about what can happen when we believe those companies, without oversight and accountability,” said Emily Brice, co-executive director of Northwest Health Law Advocates, warning about cost-saving promises made by for-profit companies. “There’s no quick fix to the problems that are growing in our health care system — what we need is leadership from every level of government.”

Washington’s 2026 Legislative Session started January 12, and it presents lawmakers with options to lower health care costs for Washingtonians. There is clear bipartisan support for common-sense solutions that help Washingtonians go to the doctor without ending up in debt. The patient and consumer groups, business leaders, and labor organizations of Fair Health Prices Washington have identified actions that legislators can take to tackle high prices, slow corporate influence, improve transparency, and stop harsh medical debt practices. Read our fact sheet to learn about priority bills that can lower health care costs.

A new state law will help protect Washington residents from the harsh negative impacts of medical debt. Senator Marcus Riccelli sponsored SB 5480, which removes medical debt from Washingtonians’ credit scores and bans unauthorized fees, threats of illegal actions and excessive contact by debt collectors. Riccelli explains, “I think there’s just this general understanding that if you wake up and you have a bad day, you end up in the emergency room, that shouldn’t impact whether or not you can get a job or get housing.” Considering recent moves by Congress, “We are going to need innovative and creative policy solutions and, frankly, state leadership to prevent our health care safety net from being shredded,” remarks Emily Brice, co-executive director of Northwest Health Law Advocates, a Fair Health Prices Washington partner.

Advocates reflect on the promise of Senate Bill 5083, which limits hospital prices for nearly 700,000 state and public school employees in Washington. In addition to federal cuts, public and school employee health insurance rates have risen more than 6% annually since 2021. This new law caps reimbursement rates for people covered by the Public Employees Benefits Board and School Employees Benefits Board. Fair Health Prices Washington partners from the Economic Opportunity Institute and Leukemia and Lymphoma Society contribute insights, including that “a similar law passed in Oregon in 2019, which saved the state more than $100 million and cut out-of-pocket costs for patients by nearly 10%.”

Puget Sound Business Journal shares insights from a recent panel discussion on health care costs. The conversation featured local panelists from Northwest Health Law Advocates, Regence BlueShield, Purchaser Business Group on Health, and Health Care Cost Institute. “Fair Health Prices Washington is an effort for health care purchasers to tackle affordability,” shared Emily Brice, co-executive director of Northwest Health Law Advocates, a Fair Health Prices Washington partner. “In 2024, Fair Health Prices Washington conducted a survey of about 1,000 Washington residents. . . . One out of every three people that we spoke with reported living in a household with active medical debt, so these are people who are drawing on their credit cards. What we’re seeing locally is this is something impacting people’s daily lives.”

This week Governor Ferguson signed Senate Bill 5480 into law. It prohibits collection agencies from reporting overdue medical debt to credit agencies, and it takes effect on July 27, 2025. This new law aims to offset some of the most damaging effects of medical debt, which can lead to extreme financial hardship and can keep people from accessing the health care they need. “Roughly six in 10 Washington adults say they could not pay an unexpected $500 medical bill, and about 30% say they live in a household with medical debt, even with health insurance,” the article declares, citing data from Fair Health Prices Washington’s 2024 Washington State Health Care Affordability Survey.