FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 1/31/2025
Contact: press@wholewashington.org
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Universal healthcare resolution passes Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee
Olympia, WA – A universal healthcare resolution numbered Senate Joint Memorial (SJM) 8004 received a public hearing in the Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee on January 30th and was voted through the following day.
Introduced by Senator Bob Hasegawa, SJM.8004 is a resolution from the Washington Legislature to Congress and the President requesting federal support in the establishment of universal healthcare in Washington via any of three different pathways.
The first is to establish Medicare for All nationally covering Washington along with the rest of the US. The second is through the passage of the State Based Universal Health Care Act, which would remove many of the federal regulatory barriers that pose challenges to states attempting to establish a similar but state-level system. The third is through the granting of federal waivers which establish more federal funding and room for innovation within state plans.
Introduced originally in 2023 as SJM.8006, the resolution passed through the Senate twice before and made it through the House Health & Wellness committee last year. It came very nearly to a vote on the House floor as the next bill on the agenda but was not called to the floor by House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, possibly due to a prolonged vote at the very end of session on a hospital consolidation bill.
While SJM.8004 is only a nonbinding resolution, it is backed by much of the same coalition backing the Washington Health Trust – a comprehensive universal healthcare proposal introduced as SB.5233 & HB.1445. Both Senate bills share Senator Hasegawa as a prime sponsor and all three are backed by Whole Washington and the community-labor coalition Health Care is a Human Right Washington.
“I understand that universal healthcare is not easy. The system is complex, the special interests strong, the challenge immense. But this resolution is as easy as it’ll get – it costs no money, no court will challenge it. No excuses. If this legislature is committed to universal public healthcare then it will pass 8004 this year and show that we’re working together in good faith.” said Andre Stackhouse, Whole Washington executive director.
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Senator Hasegawa introduces SJM.8004 to the Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee
