Modernizing and clarifying timely payment requirements for health carriers.



ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5845

State of Washington

69th Legislature

2026 Regular Session

By Senate Health & Long-Term Care (originally sponsored by Senators Slatter, Muzzall, Chapman, Harris, Riccelli, Cleveland, Hasegawa, Krishnadasan, Nobles, and Valdez)

READ FIRST TIME 02/02/26.

AN ACT Relating to modernizing and clarifying timely payment requirements for health carriers; reenacting and amending RCW 41.05.017 ; adding a new section to chapter 48.43 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature finds that timeliness of payment and administrative burden related to obtaining payment from health carriers are contributing factors to the financial vulnerability for health care providers and health care facilities and impact availability of care and delay the determination of cost sharing for patients.

(2) It is the intent of the legislature to increase transparency and accountability for claims payment timeliness by updating payment standards to better reflect claims operations and provide an objective and quantifiable standard.