Universal Health Care Commission

*Whole Washington advocates photographed with Commission members after the August 5th, 2025 Advocate’s Round Table*

Washington created a permanent Universal Health Care Commission (UHCC) within the Health Care Authority (the entity that manages wahealthplanfinder.gov) with the passage of SB.5399 in 2021. They are tasked with studying, designing, and recommending policy changes that address the most immediate shortcomings of our healthcare system while creating a foundation and pathway to universal healthcare for Washington. Their main deliverable is an annual Report to the Legislature every November.

Whole Washington supports the work of the UHCC and has presented to them multiple times about the problems with our healthcare system and the design of the Washington Health Trust which we ask them to recommend to the Legislature for passage.

Commission website

Commission members

Commission reports

How you can get involved

The UHCC (or a subcommittee) meets monthly and takes public comments which is a great way for volunteers to get engaged and tell their stories.

Attend an upcoming Commission meeting

The Universal Health Care Commission meets every two months with off months having a meeting of its Finance Technical Advisory Committee (FTAC). Meetings are public, recorded, and provide options to join on Zoom or by phone. The UHCC meetings are also hybrid with opportunities to attend in-person in Olympia. Occasionally there are unique opportunities for Whole Washington to present or submit coordinated testimony.

UHCC meetings

FTAC meetings

Submit written comments or sign up to testify

Every UHCC/FTAC meeting provides space for written comments and live testimony from the public and Whole Washington encourages you to do so if interested. Here’s how you can do either.

Register to give testimony by emailing HCAUniversalHCC@hca.wa.gov by 5 p.m. the day before the meeting occurs requesting to give public testimony. Typically there is enough time for all comments to be given in order of registration with some time left over for those who did not sign up.
Leave a written comment by emailing HCAUniversalHCC@hca.wa.gov at any time. Comments received at least two weeks before a meeting are included in the printed and online meeting materials. Comments received less than two weeks before a meeting, are included in the following meeting’s materials.

Join Team Commission to stay engaged

This is ongoing work! We need to stay engaged with the UHCC to push them to

Our presentations

Whole Washington has been invited to give public testimony to the UHCC on multiple occasions. This commission is tasked with studying, designing, and recommending healthcare policy to the Washington State Legislature to be voted into law. These presentations have been an opportunity for Whole Washington to explain how The Washington Health Trust works in detail to both the public as well as lawmakers and public administrators.

November 2024 Report to the Legislature (DRAFT)

The Universal Health Care Commission is accountable to produce an annual report to the legislature every November. Below is the current draft of the next November report.

Link to draft report

June 2024 report back on The Washington Health Trust (SB.5335)

The Universal Health Care Commission’s Finance Technical Advisory Committee (FTAC) compiled a report summarizing their initial analysis of The Washington Health Trust (SB.5335). While they were not ready to recommend the bill in its entirety , the report identifies key areas of alignment that will be passed along to the legislature. The final report can be read at the link below along with Whole Washington’s response writeup: