WAFP Legislative Agenda

WAFP's 2023 Legislative Agenda is below. Questions should be directed to Brian Hunsicker, WAFP's director of external affairs, at brian@wafp.net. The Legislative Agenda will be updated prior to the 2024 legislative session, which begins Jan. 8, 2024.

With an emphasis on health equity, in the 2023 session the Washington Academy of Family Physicians will:

Support legislation reinforcing the essential role of primary care in the physical and mental health of Washington residents, including any to:

• Further integrate mental health services into primary care settings and support the significant contributions of family physicians in providing mental and behavioral health care.
• Reduce the legal, administrative, and tax burden imposed on family physicians.
• Increase spending on primary care as a proportion of overall health spending.

Support legislation improving Washington residents’ access to high quality primary care services, including any to:

• Create incentives for medical students to select primary care residencies and for primary care residents to remain in Washington state after residency.
• Expand access to quality, affordable health care coverage.
• Sustain Community Health Centers, Rural Health Clinics, and Teaching Health Centers.
• Increase Graduate Medical Education funding for family medicine residencies.
• Enable broader use of telehealth where doing so will strengthen primary care.
• Expand access to reproductive health care, including abortion care.

Support legislation addressing social determinants of health and strengthening the public health system, including any to:

• Prioritize treatment instead of punishment for people with substance use disorder.
• Sufficiently fund core public health services and support local public health officers and science-based governance of local boards of health.
• Address racism, firearm safety, and climate change as public health crises.
• Improve access to housing and good nutrition.
• Integrate services to address social determinants of health into primary care.

Oppose legislation diminishing the role of or reducing access to family physicians, or making it harder to maintain such a practice, including any to:

• Impose inappropriate new programs or requirements on family physicians.
• Mandate additional training or continuing education.
• Reduce quality or increase risks to patients.
• Reduce funding to crucial primary care education or safety net health care programs.