House of Representatives

Washington Health Trust introduced into the House!

For the first time since the founding of Whole Washington, our universal healthcare bill the Washington Health Trust (WHT) has been introduced into the state House of Representatives as HB 1445! The WHT was originally introduced into the Senate by Bob Hasegawa in 2018 and has been introduced every session since.

While we have had many promising and supportive conversations with members of the House, we have never been able to confirm a prime sponsor to introduce the bill until this year (2025).

We are deeply grateful for the leadership of Representative Lisa Parshley for stepping up to introduce the WHT for the very first time in the House of Representatives alongside Representative Shaun Scott as an original cosponsor. While both are newly elected into the legislature, they have started their tenure with unparalleled political courage and leadership.

See HB 1445's webpage here

We have until 2pm TUESDAY (1/21) to secure additional cosponsors

We need your help to secure additional cosponsors to champion HB 1445 in the House. The cutoff deadline is 2pm on Monday January 20th.

We need you to take these two actions before then

  1. Call both of your representatives and leave a message
  2. Leave a written comment on the bill website

How to call your representatives

  1. Call 800-562-6000 on Monday (1/20) between 8am and 2pm (earlier is better)
  2. Leave a message for both of your district's Representatives asking them to cosponsor HB 1445
  3. If your representative is Shaun Scott (LD-43) or Lisa Parshley (LD-22), leave a message thanking for them for sponsoring instead
  4. You may use the sample script below to help you figure out what to say - please feel free to add your own personal experiences to the message

Sample voicemail:

"Hello Representative [NAME] - my name is [YOUR NAME] and I am a voter in [YOUR CITY/NEIGHBORHOOD/LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT]. I'm calling today as one of your constituents to urge you to to support HB 1445, The Washington Health Trust, by coming on as an original cosponsor - the deadline is 2pm today, Monday January 20th.

The cost of healthcare is rising unsustainably and has consistently outpaced inflation, while medical bills are the number one cause of bankruptcy in our state exacerbating the homelessness epidemic. We need action now and the Washington Health Trust provides a humane political pathway to economic relief and healthcare security to every one of your constituents.

Everyone deserves to have their basic healthcare needs met and nobody should be the victim of the predatory private insurance industry. I'm counting on you to stand up for what's right by cosponsoring this bill before the 2pm cutoff today."

How to leave a written comment

  1. Go to HB 1445's comment page by clicking this link
  2. Enter your address and click verify district to bring up a list of your legislators
  3. Select both Representatives (we recommend leaving your Senator unchecked for this action)
  4. Under Would you like a response to your comment select Yes
  5. Under Position select Support
  6. Under Send a copy of your message to your email address? Select Yes
  7. Type a short message asking for your Representative's cosponsorship on HB 1445
  8. If one of your Representatives is either Lisa Parshley or Shaun Scott, send them an individual message thanking them for their sponsorship instead.
  9. You may use the sample comment below to help write yours.

Sample written comment:

"Hello Representative - I am a voter and one of your constituents and I'm writing to ask for you to be an original cosponsor of HB 1445, The Washington Health Trust. The deadline is 2pm today January 20th.

The rising cost of healthcare is bankrupting both the people of Washington, and the state's Medicaid program. Economic studies consistently show that universal healthcare saves money with the Washington Health Care Authority finding that a statewide single payer system like the Washington Health Trust saving an estimated $2.5 billion in total healthcare spending in its implementation year, and over $5 billion annually after transition. These savings are accomplished while simultaneously providing comprehensive cradle-to-grave healthcare coverage to all Washington residents saving countless lives and preventing needless suffering in the process.

The Washington Health Trust has a transition plan and is fully financed - it is ready to enact legislation. There is no excuse to allow the continued suffering of so many Washingtonians who fall victim to the predatory private insurance industry. I'm counting on you to stand up for what's right by cosponsoring this bill before the 2pm cutoff today."