Big Pharma sues Washington State over new 340B drug pricing law

[OLYMPIA | JAKE GOLDSTEIN-STREET]—Two of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies sued Washington state on Wednesday, alleging a new law to tamp down prescription drug prices for hospitals won’t result in discounts for patients. The lawsuits came the same day Gov. Bob Ferguson signed Senate Bill 5981. The law passed the Senate along party lines with Democrats […]

Sen Liias bill would expand pedestrian access in construction zones

OLYMPIA [CASSIE DIAMOND]—Hospitals, parks and schools: These key locations are the focus of a bill that would require accessible pedestrian passage to be maintained during construction there. The prime sponsor of Senate Bill 6311, Sen. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, said the measure was born out of a story he heard from Monroe about a hospital that […]

Washington secures $181 million in federal funds for rural health

BALTIMORE—Washington state has secured $181.3 million in federal funding for 2026 as part of a sweeping $50 billion initiative to bolster rural health care nationwide, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Monday, December 29. The award marks the first installment for Washington under the Rural Health Transformation Program, which will distribute $10 billion […]