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Bill aligns Washington prior-authorization API requirements with federal rules; providers seek time to adopt
Summary
Substitute House Bill 1706 would align state prior-authorization application programming interface (API) requirements with federal CMS rules and set statewide enforcement to begin Jan. 1, 2027. Health plans and physician groups told the Senate committee they support the approach but want time for implementation.
Substitute House Bill 1706 would align Washington’s prior-authorization application programming interface (API) requirements with federal guidance and set a statewide enforcement start date of Jan. 1, 2027, the Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee heard March 13.
Greg Attenaccio, committee staff, said the bill removes most state-specific technical API requirements and instead requires APIs to be consistent with federal rules issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. He said enforcement of the state's API requirements will begin on Jan. 1, 2027, regardless of the federal rulemaking timetable.
Jennifer Ziegler of the Association of Washington Health Plans testified in favor and said the bill reflects compromise language worked out with the Washington State Medical Association and hospital interests. "We hope that you'll support it," she said, noting the legislature’s 2023 law required carriers and plans to build prior-authorization APIs and that the updated language clarifies technical expectations.
Mallory Toman of the Washington State Medical Association said physicians support modernizing prior authorization and do not want implementation delayed on principle, but noted federal rulemaking and technical complexity mean carriers and providers need time to implement the systems. "Prior authorization is one of our physician members' biggest frustrations pulling them away from direct patient care," she said, and added the association supports the bill's compromise language while urging continued work on broader prior-authorization reforms.
Witnesses said the API system aims to give providers and patients faster prior-authorization determinations and to reduce reliance on fax-based workflows. Panel members asked about who will have access to the system and about persistent fax use in some settings; witnesses said the API will be deployable by all carriers and that outreach and time will be needed to encourage providers to adopt the new workflow. The committee closed the hearing after testimony and did not record a vote.
