Bill would require carriers to pay clean claims within 30 days to ease provider cash‑flow

Senators considered Senate Bill 58‑45, which seeks to tighten the state's timely‑payment rules for health‑care claims by requiring carriers to pay or deny a clean claim no later than 30 days.

"We're just increasing that to 100%," sponsor Sen. Vandana Slatter said, describing the change as clarification and accountability for predictable payments to providers and hospitals. Committee staff defined a clean claim as one that has no defect or missing documentation and summarized exceptions for fraud and similar circumstances, expanded in the bill to include cyberattacks and declared disasters.

Hospital finance officials and health‑system witnesses said late payments create operational problems. Adam Dittemore of Evergreen Health and Matt Lund of UW Medicine described examples where a third of the dollar value of clean claims is paid after 30 days, causing cash‑flow and staffing pressures; Evergreen estimated late payments represent about $2 billion annually statewide for the highest‑cost claims.

Insurers and plans signaled general support for modernization but requested narrow clarifications. Premera Blue Cross and other carriers sought a technical amendment to limit certain provisions to in‑state licensed facilities in order to preserve appropriate post‑claim review processes.

Supporters said clearer timelines and shared accountability would reduce administrative burden and stabilize health‑care providers operating on narrow margins. The committee did not take a final vote and suspended the hearing for further consideration.