2026 Legislative Session Recap

As the 2026 legislative sessions wrap up in Olympia and Salem, the Northwest Kidney Council (NWKC) reflects on a session marked by both tangible progress and ongoing challenges across our legislative priorities.

In Washington, NWKC saw meaningful success with three key bills becoming law, and one funding assumption for the 2027-2029 biennium -

• SHB 2088 (Dietitian Licensure Compact) was enacted, allowing Washington to join a multi-state compact and expand access to licensed dietitians, making it easier for licensed dietitians to become credentialed in Washington State. For kidney dialysis patients, access to dietitians is a key resource in preventing health complications. Status: Passed

  
  

• EHB 2211 (Medically Tailored Meals) passed as well, ensuring individuals enrolled in medical assistance programs have access to nutrition support alongside the high-quality care delivered by kidney dialysis providers. Status: Passed

  
  

• ESHB 2238 (Statewide Food Insecurity) was also enacted, directing the Washington Department of Agriculture to develop a long-term strategy to address food insecurity and report back to the Legislature by December 1, 2027. Status: Passed

  
  

• In addition, while legislation related to free breakfast and lunch for K-12 students (HB 1404 and SB 5352) didn’t pass, legislation that enacted the millionaire’s tax (SB 6346) included budget assumptions to fully fund free meals in the 2027-2029 biennium.

  
  

Together, these policies represent real progress in strengthening kidney dialysis patient support systems, particularly around nutrition and access to care, both of which are essential to improving health outcomes.

At the same time, several NWKC-supported bills in Washington did not advance. These include:

• HB 1603 and HB 1754, aimed at expanding access to Medigap coverage. Status: Not Enacted

  
  

• HB 1238 and SB 5064, which proposed establishing a statewide rare disease advisory council. Status: Not Enacted

In the case of legislation to expand access to Medigap coverage, concerns were expressed about the impact on premiums by the Office of the Insurance Commissioner. The Rare Disease Advisory Council, legislation stalled due to fiscal constraints and lack of consensus during a tight budget year. All priority NWKC legislation had strong coalition support.

Oregon’s “short” Legislative session had the potential to deliver significant negative consequences for the larger health care delivery system, including dialysis, due to the prospect of a plunging general fund and the looming reductions due to HR 1.  Thankfully, due to a more positive economic forecast than the gloomy predictions prior to the session, the reductions were kept to a minimum (under 1%) which impacted largely vacant positions and services and supplies budgets thus avoiding deeper potential cuts to reimbursement rates.

While there were no policy bills directly impacting kidney health care, NWKC tracked a number of bills consequential to the delivery system writ large. Of note:

• HB 4115 - Caregiver Criminal Background Checks.  While focused on long term care facilities, the Legislature eased the workforce burden for providers by extending the length of time a criminal background check is valid from 18 months to three years under certain circumstances allowing a faster hiring process for employees moving from one facility to another.  Status: Passed

• HCR 202 - Declaring a state policy goal that by 2033 Oregon’s health care system will be more affordable and accessible.  While HCR 202 doesn’t change statute, it declares, amongst other goals, that providers should operate on a stable, sustainable financial footing and that Oregonians have timely access to quality, affordable health care services. Status: Passed

• HB 4038 - The measure would have created a 10-year moratorium on the Health Care Cost Target (CGT) Program, preventing the Oregon Health Authority from engaging in enforcement activities on providers and payers due to flaws in the current administration of the program.  While Legislators agreed with the challenges with the program (administrative burden, punitive approach, overly adversarial), the sentiment was an interim workgroup was needed to bring forward proposals for the 2027 Legislative session. Status: Failed

Across both states, NWKC remained actively engaged, submitting testimony, supporting coalitions, and elevating the voices of kidney dialysis patient and the providers who care for them.

While not every priority crossed the finish line, the 2026 session delivered important wins and set the stage for continued progress in 2027.

View NWKC's legislative priorities here.