Thank you to everyone for their support and action! Stay tuned for more information as we move forward!

Background Info:

More on the 2026 Session:

The WSPA is hosting two legislative days  this year on January 28th and February 23rd for members to meet with legislators to inform them about practice and our priorities. Our WSPA Bill Tracker lists all the bills we are following this session and provides regular updates.

Bills that were introduced last year but failed to advance are still “alive” for reconsideration this session. In addition to priority bills listed below, there are bills we offer support for, and bills we work to ensure do not impede pharmacy practice.

Priority Bills:

SB 5924/HB 2302: Expanding prescriptive authority for pharmacists

These bills would remove administrative barriers to pharmacist provided care by allowing independent prescribing and diagnosis within a pharmacist’s scope of practice and based on individual training, education, and experience. The legislation is modeled after laws enacted in Idaho and Iowa and builds on 46 years of safe pharmacist prescribing and diagnostic authority already permitted in Washington through Collaborative Drug Therapy Agreements (CDTAs). See our member’s Scope Expansion Bill page for more information and how to help.

SB 5765: Concerning Psychiatric Pharmacist

This bill would allow board-certified psychiatric pharmacists working at Community Behavioral Health Organizations to be recognized as "professional persons” under RCW 71.05.148. This would permit them to participate in court proceedings for their patients. Currently, pharmacist’s input may not be considered in these cases. (Summary PDF coming to post as members only link)

SB 5981/HB 2145: Protecting patient access to discounted medications and health care services through Washington's health care safety net by preventing manufacturer limitations on the 340B drug pricing program.

Currently, many pharmaceutical manufacturers exclude contract 340B pharmacies from ordering medications at 340B prices. This bill would seek to stop this practice so Washington pharmacies can continue to serve their patients.

If you have any questions, please contact Dedi Little , Director of Government Affairs or WSPA CEO, Jenny Arnold. For a list of bills and their status, check out the  WSPA Bill Tracker.

Thank you  for your attention and action!

Help us get over 200 signatures in support of the bill before the hearing!

Here's How:

• Visit the Hearing Page for Friday
• Select SB 5924 - Pharmacist Prescriptive Authority
• Select I would like my position noted for the legislative record
• Select Pro, complete the webform
• Click Submit Registration 

That's it!

If you have experience to share related to patient care, CDTAs, or similar topics, we encourage you to submit written testimony. When registering, instead of selecting a position, choose “submit written testimony.” Legislators read these comments and truly appreciate hearing directly from you.

WSPA Scope Bill Info Page

If you have any questions, please contact Dedi Little, Director of Government Affairs or WSPA CEO,  Jenny Arnold.

Click to view letter

Additionally, we sent a similar letter of concern for HB 2045 which would also increase B&O tax on wholesalers and some large pharmacies. The WSPA CEO, Board Member Chris Shaffner, and Past President Ryan Oftebro spoke during hearings in concern for both bills. 

"A Pharmacy Benefit Carve-out will benefit some pharmacies, while harming others. Additionally, it could be a death blow to many community health clinics and hospitals. Legislators need to understand and mitigate these unintended consequences: said WSPA CEO Jenny Arnold. 

Read the summary letter of impacts and solutions sent to Legislators this week. 

Our bills are in trouble and need your help! Please reach out to your representative and senator and ask for their support for pharmacy practice. Specifically, please ask Senators that SB 5513 and Representatives that HB 1520 receive a hearing in the health care committee. The pharmacy profession needs a chance to publicly share all the great work our profession does, and dispel the myths being shared by opponents to our bill. Please share the Pharmacist Scope Bill Summary with Legislators.

Also, in your email or phone call, please take a moment to share what your practice is like, the barriers CDTAs cause to your practice, or what you do to help provide patient care.

This legislative session the WSPA is championing expansion of pharmacists’ scope of practice to allow pharmacist prescribing and diagnosis within our standard of care outside of CDTAs. Senate Bill 5513 and House Bill 1520 represent and eased in approach, initially offering some limits to pharmacy practice, until 2030 when prescribing and diagnosis would be defined by standard of care expectations. This is similar to how other professions are regulated. WSPA has created a detailed description for our members of the pharmacist scope expansion we are requesting.

If our bills don’t get a hearing and voted out of the committees in the coming weeks they will be dead for this session. We need ALL our legislators to hear from their pharmacists about the importance of this bill to our patients and our profession!

Further, if you work with a health system or other medical professionals that would like to support our bill – specifically ask them to reach out to the members of House Health Care and Wellness Committee, and the Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee. Ask them to tell members of this committee they support HB 1520 and SB 5513 receiving a hearing, and that they work with pharmacists who provide essential, safe and effective healthcare.

Overall, legislators have been very responsive to our bill and request for scope expansion – however a few skeptical individuals think we need to wait and be cautious. Pharmacists have been diagnosing and prescribing under CDTAs for 46 years, and have earned the doctor of pharmacy degree for 25 years. We have waited long enough! Now is the time to decrease the administrative burdens to pharmacist provided care!

Thank you for your help to have a public hearing for our bills!

Jenny Arnold, PharmD, FWSPA
CEO
WSPA
jenny@wsparx.org

This bill strengthens Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) regulations in the Health Care Benefit Manager Chapter. It is an important incremental step toward regulatory oversight, transparency, and accountability of PBMs. 

More information on the PBM law and advocacy can be found on the WSPA PBM Action Page. 

Thank you to all our members who reached out to Legislators, registered their support before hearings, testified and word smithed this bill - it was a tremendous effort to protect our pharmacies, patients and communities. 

The Washington Legislative Session started on January 9th, 2023. 

On January 10th, a comprehensive PBM reform bill was introduced in the Senate - SB 5213. This is a WSPA supported bill to support payment for safe patient care is paid for by the PBMs. It also supports patient choice in which pharmacy the access. Thank you to the bill sponsors for their advocacy!

For a complete list of Bills WSPA is monitoring, WSPA members can access the WSPA's Bill Tracker. 

Senate Health and Long-Term Care committee members:

Annette Cleveland, Chair - annette.cleveland@leg.wa.gov

Legislative Assistant: kevin.gordon@leg.wa.gov

David Frockt, Vic Chair - david.frockt@leg.wa.gov

Legislative Assistant: jessica.bryant@leg.wa.gov

Ron Muzzall, Ranking Member -  ron.muzzall@leg.wa.gov

Legislative Assistant: eric.hemmen@leg.wa.go

Steve Conway – steve.conway@leg.wa.gov

Legislative Assistant: Kimberlie.lelli@leg.wa.gov

Jeff Holy – jeff.holy@leg.wa.gov

Legislative Assistant: will.rasavage@leg.wa.gov

Karen Keiser – karen.keiser@leg.wa.gov

Legislative Assistant: Jennifer.minich@leg.wa.gov

Mike Padden – mike.padden@leg.wa.gov

Legislative Assistant: Jacob.clark@leg.wa.gov

Emily Randall – Emily.randall@leg.wa.gov

Legislative Assistant: sarah.myers@leg.wa.gov

Ann Rivers – ann.rivers@leg.wa.gov

Legislative Assistant: Josalun.hasz@leg.wa.gov

June Robinson – June.robinson@leg.wa.gov

Legislative Assistant: kate.armstrong@leg.wa.gov

Keven Van De Wege – Kevin.vandewege@leg.wa.gov

Legislative Assistant: peter.steelquist@leg.wa.gov

Simon Sefzik – simone.sefzik@leg.wa.gov

Legislative Assistant: Jami.lund@leg.wa.gov

WSPA’s priority bill, HB 1813, Patient Freedom of Choice, made it past the first deadline. The bill was voted out of the House Health Care Committee Wednesday, February 2nd. WSPA will continue to work the bill as it moves through the process. The next big legislative deadline is February 7th; bills with fiscal impacts will have to be out of their respective fiscal committees.

WSPA had its first virtual Pharmacy Days on the Hill, Monday, January 31st, and February 1st. Pharmacy students attended over 30 legislative meetings with state lawmakers advocating for issues important to the profession. A big thank you to the WSPA student pharmacists Board of Directors liaisons for organizing these two days!

The next virtual Pharmacy Days on the Hill will be February 21st. If you are interested in participating, please email brandy@wsparx.org. 

We are approaching week four of the 2022 Washington Legislative session, and legislative committee hearings are full swing. In the House Health Care and Wellness committee, we had a good hearing on our priority bill HB 1813, Patient freedom of pharmacy choice. WSPA President Ryan Oftebro; WSPA Board member and WSPA Legislative Committee members Julie Akers, Rick McCoy and Rick Hughes all offered excellent testimony regarding the impact of PBM mail-order practices. In addition, WSPA Board member and Legislative Committee member Jenni Bacci’s testimony focused on a study she authored regarding pharmacy deserts. She highlighted the need for community pharmacies to stay healthy and be around to take care of patients in their community.

Several patient advocacy groups also testified in support. The bill has until February 3rd to be voted out of the House Health Care and Wellness committee. If you haven’t contacted committee members, please take the time to do so now. It’s important for legislators who sit on the committee to hear from the profession how vital it is for patients to choose where they obtain their pharmacy services without being penalized.

Nationally, NCPA is relaunching  its TV spot/ad urging people to contact their senators to stop the PBMs. It’s the same spot they ran simultaneously to Melt the Phones in the Washington, DC market. This time, they will be launching the ad in several states. Please feel free to share on your social media and other outlets. Together, we are louder!

Want to support our efforts? Join us tomorrow with the University of Washington for the first of three Virtual Legislative Days! We will kick off the day at 8:00 AM and use  Zoom  as our central hub of communication. Sign in and join us!

House Bill 1852 Seeks to require translation of prescription labels into multiple languages. The WSPA was supportive of many amendments to the bill that directed PQAC to rule making instead of having very detailed requirements in law. Thank you to so many of our members who testified and reached out to legislators on this important patient safety issue.

In other healthcare news, Governor Inslee signed SHB 1732 into law Thursday to change the Washington Long-Term Care Trust Act one day after the Senate approved the legislation. Due to complaints regarding who this applies to, who it will cover, and how much it really could cost, along with two lawsuits pending, the Washington State legislature decided to delay the implementation of the program. The delay will allow lawmakers to revisit the Act and make changes.

Due to complaints regarding who this applies to, who it will cover, and how much it really could cost, along with two lawsuits pending, the Washington State legislature decided to delay the implementation of the program. The delay will allow lawmakers to revisit the Act and make changes.

Employees who have already had premiums deducted from their paycheck should expect a refund within 120 days.

Thank you for your support! We look forward to making making further impact at tomorrow's Legislative Day! If you have any questions, please feel free to email Dedi Little, Director of Government Affairs via email or call360-480-9671.

This session falls in a supplemental budget year, meaning legislators will be making changes to the State's operating, transportation, and capital budgets.

Under the State operating budget, the WSPA will support and assist the University of Washington and Washington State University as they partner to seek funding to create a new behavioral health pharmacy residency program. Funding would provide four new behavioral health pharmacy residency positions and two new facility clinicians trained in psychiatric pharmacy. Positions would be divided evenly between schools.

Furthermore, WSPA is running a patient freedom of choice bill that gives patients back their choice in where and how to obtain their prescription drugs, HB 1813 titled Concerning freedom of pharmacy choice. It is widespread practice among PBMs, to steer, coerce or mandate patients to use PBM-owned out-of-state mail-order pharmacies and financially punish those patients who choose their local pharmacies over the PBMs  This bill will attempt to address all possible scenarios PBMs are using to force mail order on WA patients. In addition, we include language in the bill from the Rutledge vs PCMA decision that requires PBMs to provide fair and reasonable reimbursement to a patient’s chosen pharmacy. This bill is our priority in 2022 . This is going to take a lot of work on our end to educate legislators and ask for their support.

WSPA will be working on your behalf with the Washington State Legislature. We will be reaching out to you asking for support in our advocacy efforts. We will keep our 2022 advocacy webpage updated as the session goes along and you can expect to get weekly updates in our newsletters and biweekly verbal updates in our town hall calls, as well as occasional short podcasts throughout the session. Our weekly written updates will include schedules for the upcoming week on bills of interest and we will frequently send out email templates and detailed guidance to help facilitate you advocating for our patients and profession in less than 5 minutes! We want to make it as easy as possible to participate in the legislative process.

Thank you for your involvement! WSPA is a member-driven organization and the work we do with our members to advance and protect patient care and the profession of pharmacy is thanks to your membership and involvement.

Senate Bill 5195 directs the Washington Health Care Authority (HCA) to establish a bulk purchasing and distribution program for “opioid overdose reversal medication” (2SSB 5195.SL) and

Senate Bill 5203 directs HCA to establish partnerships to produce, distribute or purchase generic prescription drugs and insulin (ESSB 5203.SL).

 HCA is now in the process of gathering feedback from key stakeholders to better inform them on how such programs could be developed and implemented. There is a survey where folks can provide HCA input regarding the barriers to and opportunities for new purchasing and distribution approaches for insulin and naloxone. The option to take the survey will be open through November 5.

Please take the survey to provide input. 

Don't hesitate to reach out with any questions. 

PBMs will still be required to register with the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC), however the OIC will have more authority and there are additional regulations and provisions aimed at providing greater transparency and accountability.

Current law regulating the practice of PBMs is transferred to the regulation of HCBMs.  These provisions include regulation of formularies and drug lists; requiring the maintenance of a network pharmacy appeals process; requiring participation in audits; and prohibiting participation in an action of fraud against a pharmacy.

2SSB 5601 does contain language prohibiting certain PBM business practices. The WSPA took model NCPA language and tailored it to Washington. The bill prohibits a number of PBM activities that are harming community pharmacy and impacting pharmacist ability to provide valuable services to their patients.

As of January 1, 2022, A PBM may not:

• Cause or knowingly permit the use of any advertisement, promotion, solicitation, representation, proposal, or offer that is untrue, deceptive or misleading.
• Charge a pharmacy a fee related to the adjudication of a claim, or for credentialing, participating, certification, accreditation, or enrollment in a network.
• Require pharmacy accreditation standards or certification requirements inconsistent with or more stringent than, standards required by national accreditation organizations.
• Deny, reduce, or recoup payment from a pharmacy for pharmacy services after adjudication of a claim unless the claim was fraudulent, or the denial or reduction was the result of a pharmacy audit.

Contract Transparency - Carriers must file all contracts and contract amendments entered with a HCBM with the commissioner, within 30 days following the effective date of the contract. 

Enforcement provision - If a HCBM violates any laws or regulations pertaining to the HCBM, the commissioner is permitted to: place on probation, suspend, revoke, or refuse a registration; issue a cease and desist order; levy a fine of up to $5,000 per violation; and require corrective action.

Rulemaking for the bill will begin this Summer. Because this is a new law that regulates and entity that has never been regulated. The rulemaking process will take some time. This is new to the Office of the Insurance Commissioner and the Health Care Benefit Managers they will regulate.

The bill is aimed at protecting consumers from paying more for their drugs. The bill also receive unanimous votes by both the Washington State House of Representatives and the Senate.

As the bill was moving through the process, WSPA was successful working with legislators and staff in getting the bill amended to include a provision prohibiting Carrier’s and PBMs from requiring pharmacists to dispense a Brand name drug when the patients prescription is for a Generic.

Beginning January 1, 2021, the maximum amount a PBM or health carrier may require a person to pay at the point of sale for a covered prescription medication is

• the lesser of the applicable cost sharing (insurance co-payment/co-insurance) for the medication; or
• the amount the person would pay for the medication if he or she purchased (paid cash) without using a health plan.

Prohibits a carrier or PBM from requiring a pharmacist to dispense a brand name drug when a less expensive equivalent generic drug is available.

This bill is an important step in the right direction in lowering out of pocket prescription drug costs for patients.

For more about WSPA State Legislative efforts, click here.

The Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission (Commission) has been working with the Department of Health in developing a statewide standing order for naloxone to help with the ongoing opioid crisis. The Department will be announcing the statewide standing order tomorrow, August 28, 2019.

The Commission wanted to provide this update to our licensees to prepare the pharmacy community for patients who may arrive requesting naloxone under the standing order. The standing order will allow for any individual or entity to obtain naloxone from pharmacies without a patient specific prescription issued by a health care provider.