Unquestionably, SB 5241, or the Keep Our Care Act (KOCA), is among Washington’s most critical healthcare legislation. We all can recognize that healthcare prices are too high. Many patients face a lifetime of debt and declining health from the unnecessary stress this adds to their illness. But why are prices exorbitant?

Many factors drive healthcare prices. In Washington, the lack of competition due to decades of rapid consolidation is a significant cause of pain in patients’ pocketbooks. The problem is particularly acute in areas outside the Seattle urban core, leading to far fewer choices for rural patients, especially women.

Nearly half of all acute care hospital beds in our state, amongst the most secular in the Union, are controlled by a handful of religiously-affiliated hospital systems. In the context of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, integrating our state’s healthcare system takes on even more urgent importance despite decades of precedent. 

To the detriment of patients, religious hospitals use “ethical and religious directives” (ERDs) to justify declining to provide essential care for many patients, including, but not limited to, contraception, abortion, sterilization, miscarriage management, infertility treatment, and aid in dying. These directives force OB-GYNs to consult “ethics committees” before providing treatment. Even worse, they have led to documented instances nationwide of patients facing imminent death due to hemorrhaging, with physicians being powerless because a fetal heartbeat was detected.

As a state that claims to guarantee access to reproductive health for all residents and a sanctuary state for people from out-of-state seeking abortion care, we must be the ones to fight back against these barbaric practices.

That’s why WashingtonCAN proudly endorses this legislation. KOCA would allow the Washington Attorney General to supervise hospital mergers to ensure fair prices and access to primary health care procedures are available after hospital systems combine. Consolidations would be subject to public scrutiny in open hearings. Oversight for merging systems would continue for ten years after a merger to ensure that hospital systems remain honest with patients and taxpayers. If a merger or acquisition violates the law, the Attorney General is empowered to halt it through an injunction.

We need your help! Take action in support of KOCA today! We always need active citizens to share their perspectives with lawmakers and officials. 

Readers personally impacted by high healthcare prices or those denied care due to an EDR are encouraged to reach out to our lead organizer, John Godfrey, at johngodfrey@washingtoncan.org.