Senate advances controversial hospital merger measure

Plus a flurry of other interesting bill action and McMorris Rodgers peaces out

After hours of exhaustive and contentious debate steeped in the politics of abortion and the precarious financial state of many hospitals, Senate Democrats on Thursday pushed through a new system for approving mergers of hospitals into larger chains. 

Senate Bill 5241, sponsored by Sen. Emily Randall, D-Bremerton, stems from the 2013 acquisition of Bremerton’s Harrison Medical Center by CHI Franciscan, which is now Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, in one of a long series of such acquisitions by Catholic hospital chains. The hospital is now known as St. Michael Medical Center. 

Here’s why you should care about this: Progressive activists in healthcare look askance at such mergers because of concerns that Catholic healthcare organizations will refuse to provide abortion, gender-affirming care, and end-of-life services. An overlapping set of activists argue against the consolidation of health care in general on broader consumer protection grounds. Meanwhile, mergers have saved many hospitals from the brink of insolvency or closure, and more small hospitals, especially in rural areas, could need such a lifeline in the future. 

Editor’s Note: If you’re not a paid subscriber, you’re about to hit the paywall. But you’re also in luck because we’re having a sale through the Legislature’s house-of-origin cutoff next week.