Washington Universal Healthcare Coverage Initiative (2020)

Washington Universal Healthcare Coverage Initiative
Election date November 3, 2020
Topic Healthcare
Status Not on the ballot
Type State statute	Origin Citizens
List of Washington measuresWashington Referendum 90Washington Senate Joint Resolution 8212Washington Advisory Vote 32Washington Advisory Vote 33Washington Advisory Vote 34Washington Advisory Vote 35Submit

The Washington Universal Healthcare Coverage Initiative (#1016) was not on the ballot in Washington as an Initiative to the Legislature, a type of indirect initiated state statute, on November 3, 2020.

This initiative was designed to create the Whole Washington Health Trust "to ensure all Washington residents can enroll in nonprofit health insurance coverage providing an essential set of health benefits."

Text of measure

Ballot title

Initiative 1016 ballot title
“ Initiative Measure No. 1016 concerns healthcare. This measure would require the establishment of a comprehensive state program to pay for healthcare for all Washington residents by November 2021, funded by premiums, and taxes on employers, wages, and capital gains. Should this measure be enacted into law? ”

Ballot summary

Initiative 1016 ballot summary

“ This measure would require the establishment, by November 2021, of a comprehensive state program to pay for healthcare services, prescriptions, and medical equipment for all Washington residents. The program would establish covered healthcare services and eligibility rules; determine premiums for covered persons and payments to providers; seek necessary federal waivers; and integrate existing healthcare benefit programs. The program would be funded through premiums paid by covered persons, and taxes on employers, wages, and capital gains. ”

Full text

• The full text of the initiative is available here.

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing the initiative process in Washington

The state process

In Washington, the number of signatures required to qualify an indirectly initiated state statute—called an Initiative to the Legislature in Washington—for the ballot is equal to 8 percent of the votes cast for the office of governor at the last regular gubernatorial election. Initial filings for indirect initiatives cannot be made more than 10 months before the regular session at which their proposal would be presented to lawmakers. Signatures must be submitted at least 10 days prior to the beginning of the legislative session in the year of the targeted election.

The requirements to get an Initiative to the Legislature certified for the 2020 ballot:

• Signatures: 259,622 valid signatures were required.
• Deadline: The deadline to submit signatures was January 3, 2020.

The secretary of state verifies the signatures using a random sample method. If the sample indicates that the measure has sufficient signatures, the measure is certified to appear before the legislature. If the legislature does not approve the measure, it is certified to appear on the ballot. However, if the sample indicates that the measure has insufficient signatures, every signature is checked. Under Washington law, a random sample result may not invalidate a petition.

Details about this initiative

• Georgia Davenport of Whole Washington submitted this initiative on April 22, 2019. A ballot title and summary were issued for the measure on April 30, 2019.
• Sponsors did not submit signatures by the January 3, 2020, deadline. Georgia Davenport of Whole Washington said the group would file an initiative to the 2021 legislature.

See also

2020 measures

• 2020 ballot measures
• Healthcare on the ballot
• 2020 petition deadlines

Washington

• Washington ballot measures
• Washington initiative laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls
• Ballot measure signature costs

External links

• Initiative #1016 Full Text