| the-wsma-celebrates-match-day-the-best-is-yet-to-come | The WSMA Celebrates Match Day! The Best Is Yet to Come | Latest_News | Shared_Content/News/Latest_News/2026/the-wsma-celebrates-match-day-the-best-is-yet-to-come | <div class="col-md-12">
<div class="col-sm-5 pull-right" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="WSMA celebrates 2026 Match Day" src="/images/Newsletters/latest-news/2026/march/match-day-2026-1200x628px.png" class="pull-right" /></div>
<h5>Mar. 19, 2026</h5>
<h2>The WSMA Celebrates Match Day! The Best Is Yet to Come</h2>
<p>By Graham Short</p>
<p>
Friday, March 20 is Match Day! On Match Day, we celebrate the next step in a medical student's training to become a trusted healer and advocate for their patients. This day reminds us that working with patients is the reason physicians become physicians: to heal and save lives, a core theme of our <a href="[@]wsma/advocacy/your-care-is-at-our-core.aspx">Your Care Is at Our Core campaign</a> to restore the trust at the heart of the patient-physician relationship.
</p>
<p>
Celebrating Match Day at the WSMA is also celebrating two key demographics in our membership: our medical student members and our resident physician members. On Match Day, medical students learn which residency program they will join, marking the transition from student to physician-in-training. Students and physicians-in-training are intimately involved at the WSMA, informing policymaking (all members have a voice through our <a href="[@]wsma/events/annual_meeting/virtual-reference-committees.aspx">reference committees</a>), serving on our <a href="[@]wsma/about/who_we_are/board-of-trustees.aspx">board of trustees</a> and <a href="[@]wsma/about/who_we_are/house-of-delegates.aspx">House of Delegates</a> as a trustee, delegate, or alternate delegate, and informing the WSMA on its resources for students and residents through the <a href="[@]wsma/about/who_we_are/early-career-sections.aspx">WSMA Early Career Sections</a>. As a sign of our commitment to supporting students and residents on their journeys to becoming physicians, membership in the WSMA is <a href="[@]wsma/membership/join_renew/dues_categories.aspx">free</a>.</p>
<p>
Match Day is a reminder that medical students are a crucial part of not just the WSMA but of the health care ecosystem. They're tomorrow's physicians but today's eager learners and explorers—as such, they inform and teach the older generations of physicians, creating a two-way street of inspiration, information, and integration, making a stronger, united health care workforce.
</p>
<h3>Match Day memories</h3>
<p>
For this year's Match Day, the WSMA turned to its executive physician leadership—once and always former students themselves—to jog their memories of Match Days gone past. In them are lessons and insights for today's new cadre of physicians-in-training. Enjoy these memories and have a happy Match Day!
</p>
<p>
<strong>Bridget Bush, MD, WSMA president:</strong>
</p>
<p>
"I did the military match in December, so I already knew where I was going for the March Match Day. That being said, it was the first time since Katrina I got to see my classmates as we gathered in Houston. In fact, it and Graduation Day in May were the last days I saw most of them including my dear friend Adam who we lost to suicide in 2021. I have my 20th medical school reunion this April and it seems crazy to have been so long from that [Match] day!
</p>
<p>
"I loved seeing my classmate's faces as they opened their envelopes. The sense of pride at how awesomely we had all done (I was continuously impressed by the quality of doctors my classmates were becoming). I felt grateful to be a part of the class and the community, even though touched with a tinge of envy as I was only matched to an internship in the Navy (you must apply again for residencies during your internship in that branch).
</p>
<p>
"Some of it was bittersweet as I knew this was a milestone on our paths forward signifying that our medical school journey was nearly complete. I felt more acutely the loss of the time in New Orleans because of having to leave with Katrina. Fourth year was supposed to be the year I explored the city more, enjoyed more of its offerings in music and culture and food. Maybe that explains why I feel I have to go back there every few years."
</p>
<p>
<strong>John Bramhall, MD, PhD, WSMA immediate past president:</strong>
</p>
<p>
"Medical school is a bit of a tasting menu where you have the opportunity to watch what happens in a variety of clinical settings and then absorb your feelings. Probably because of my experience of working in big technical research labs embedded in large academic systems, I found a natural affinity for the operating room—filled with equipment and very team-based—gravitating to anesthesiology as likely to be an enjoyable career choice.
</p>
<p>
"I was attracted to the way in which clinical anesthesiology practice had been refined and taught at Virginia Mason and so I applied for residency in Seattle. At that time, Virginia Mason was a center of excellence in regional anesthesia, and the training was almost exclusively based on physical anatomy. The attendings were enthusiastic, the little hospital was cheerful, and the teaching ur-text was by Andreas Vesalius! I thought it was all rather esoteric, and I was delighted when they accepted me into their program.
</p>
<p>
"I recall being very happy to have got into my chosen program, but I do think it was useful for me to be more than a little open, emotionally, to the possibility of only getting into one of my lower-ranked locations. I do, also, remember that my faculty advisor at UCSD was vaguely disappointed that I had chosen anesthesiology over 'real medicine' that he thought I would be 'good at,' so having to turn to an alternative cognitive specialty would have at least made him happy, and I liked him, so possibly I would have been happy too!</p>
<p>"I have no advice, other than the obvious—don't apply for anything that you predict will make you miserable!"
</p>
<p>
<strong>Bindu Nayak, MD, WSMA vice president:</strong>
</p>
<p>
"When your whole life seems to be building up to this moment that will decide the next step in your journey, emotions are high as you anticipate receiving that news that will change everything. This pivotal moment is something I hope you will treasure and look back on with joy. Whatever path you land on will take you to amazing places, life experiences and the reality of finally making it to your goal of being a physician. Enjoy every minute and know that wherever you go, you will do amazing things.
</p>
<p>
"Growing up in Louisiana, I put all my hopes and dreams into matching in internal medicine in Washington D.C. to follow my heart and my dreams. My fiancé (now husband) had already been in residency there for two years. Match day would determine if we would actually live in the same place. I loved D.C. and when I received the news that I did get my top choice, Georgetown University Medical Center, for my residency, I was overjoyed and it felt like so much more than just a residency falling into place. It felt like the first day of my dreams coming true."
</p>
<p>
<strong>John Scott, MD, WSMA secretary-treasurer:</strong>
</p>
<p>
"My advice to students is: be open and be present. There is this uncertainty that it's a little maddening, and even if you don't get top choices, there are so many excellent programs. I have friends who had an unexpected match day that in the long run worked out very well for them. Be there for your friends and classmates and their range of emotions that they will be feeling. Oh, and enjoy the last few months of 4th year because you’re going to work harder than you ever have for the next 3-7 years. Good luck!
</p>
<p>
"I matched into internal medicine at Stanford back in 1998. I was very happy because it was my #1 choice and I would be going back to where I grew up. I did the couple's match with my wife so we had applied to 20 different places all over the country, and we really had no idea where we were going to end up. She matched into the primary care pediatrics program at University of California, San Francisco, and made some amazing friends and got excellent training. I remember feeling relief that we were going to be in same city, and I was blown away by my classmates and the amazing places they were going to. And also, a little bit sad because I probably wouldn’t see some of these folks again or at least for many years."
</p>
<p>
Happy Match Day, graduates!
</p>
<p><em>Graham Short is WSMA's director of communications.</em></p>
</div> | 3/19/2026 12:00:00 AM | 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM |
| 2026-session-recap-key-policy-wins-for-physicians-patients | 2026 Session Recap: Key Policy Wins for Physicians, Patients | Latest_News | Shared_Content/News/advocacy-report/2026/March 16/2026-session-recap-key-policy-wins-for-physicians-patients | <div class="col-md-12">
<div class="col-sm-5 pull-right" style="text-align: center;"><img src="/images/Newsletters/advocacy-report/2026/february/2026-Leg-Session-Graphic.png" class="pull-right" alt="WSMA 2026 Legislative Session Updates" /></div>
<h5>Mar. 16, 2026</h5>
<h2>2026 Session Recap: Key Policy Wins for Physicians, Patients</h2>
<p>
<em>Historic session sees passage of income tax on millionaires</em>
</p>
<p>
The 60-day, 2026 legislative session adjourned as scheduled on March 12. It was a successful session for the WSMA and physician community, with passage of key policy bills to ensure access to vaccines, reform prior authorization, and require insurance carriers to pay claims in a timely fashion. We also successfully defeated all bills we opposed this year.
</p>
<p>
Legislators worked against the backdrop of a state budget dynamic that continues to be challenging. Updates to the state budget were approved on the final day of session with a combination of cuts and new spending, the latter driven by rising state tort claims and increased utilization of state programs such as Medicaid.
</p>
<p>
In the budget space, the WSMA successfully advocated for priority funding items to maintain the state's Apple Health Expansion immigrant coverage program, promote insurance affordability though subsidies for plans on the Washington Health Benefit Exchange, and fully fund Foundational Public Health Services. We also advocated against a proposed cut to Medicaid coverage for physical, occupational, and speech therapy services, which was restored in the final budget.
</p>
<p>
Budget negotiations in the coming years will likely continue to be challenging, particularly as cuts to federal health care funding from H.R. 1 are implemented. In spite of this, we will continue to advocate for Medicaid rate increases for professional service delivery and business and occupation tax reform for independent practices. While we were disappointed to not see more progress on those issues this year, given the state of the state's budget, we were also grateful that the final spending plan did not include cuts to Medicaid rates or tax increases on physician practices.
</p>
<h3 id="TheMillionairesTax">The Millionaires Tax</h3>
<p>
While the final state budget did not rely on tax increases on physician organizations, much of session was dominated by tax talk, specifically on <a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/?BillNumber=6346&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false" target="_blank">Senate Bill 6346</a>, which establishes a state income tax on individuals and spouses with annual income over $1 million.
</p>
<p>
Through the course of session, the WSMA advocated for dedicated revenue from the millionaires tax to support Medicaid rate increases and broad B&amp;O tax mitigation for physician groups and health care professionals - both intended to help promote health care access and affordability, as well as the viability of independent physician practice.
</p>
<p>
Negotiations over the bill culminated in a debate in the House of Representatives that ran more than 24 hours, with majority-party Democrats rejecting numerous amendments before taking a final vote on the bill.
</p>
<p>
The WSMA worked in collaboration with physician groups to develop one of the few amendments that was accepted. Our amendment eliminates the 0.5% B&amp;O tax surcharge on large medical groups that gross over $250 million annually one year earlier than directed under current law, saving physician groups an estimated $22 million and aligning with a similar policy in the bill for hospitals. Other noteworthy tax mitigation in the bill includes elimination of sales tax on certain services beginning in 2029, such as temporary staffing services, continuing education, custom IT projects, hygiene products, and diapers.
</p>
<p>
While Gov. Bob Ferguson has signaled that he will sign the millionaires tax into law, that won't be the last hurdle before it's implemented. Opponents of the law have signaled they will attempt to gather sufficient signatures to force ratification by voters in November. The bill will also face legal action challenging its constitutionality. If it withstands scrutiny, the tax will be assessed beginning in 2029.
</p>
<h3 id="WSMAPolicyPriorityWins">WSMA Policy Priority Wins</h3>
<p>
The millionaires tax grabbed most of the headlines from Olympia this year, but it was far from the only issue on the table. Between bills that were introduced in the 2026 session and those from 2025 that didn't pass and were automatically reintroduced, there were more than 3,500 bills eligible for consideration this session. The WSMA tracked and engaged on more than 600 of those bills, seeing wins on our following priority issues:
</p>
<p>
</p>
<ul>
<li>
Prior authorization reform | <a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/?BillNumber=5395&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false" target="_blank">Senate Bill 5395</a>
<ul>
<li>Continues recent efforts to modernize insurance carrier prior authorization processes, including prohibiting carriers from solely using AI to deny prior authorization and clarifying an existing prohibition on retroactive denials of prior authorization. This bill was developed by the WSMA in partnership with the Washington State Hospital Association and Proliance Surgeons.
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Timely insurance payments | <a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/?BillNumber=5845&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false" target="_blank">Senate Bill 5845</a>
<ul>
<li>Generally requires insurance carriers to pay "clean claims" within 30 days and reduces the time period in which reimbursement for claims can be retroactively clawed back by a carrier to 12 months.
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Vaccine and preventive service access | <a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/?BillNumber=2242&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false" target="_blank">House Bill 2242</a>
<ul>
<li>Modifies state policy to preserve access to preventive services, including vaccines, on a covered basis through health insurance plans and the state's Childhood Vaccine Program.
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Medicaid Access Program date extension | <a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/?BillNumber=2385&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false" target="_blank">House Bill 2385</a>
<ul>
<li>Maintains the Medicaid Access Program in statute until 2030 to allow the state to revisit seeking federal approval of the program in the future when feasible.
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>
Other bills supported by the WSMA that were passed by the Legislature this year include <a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/?BillNumber=6025&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false" target="_blank">Senate Bill 6025</a> from the Washington Chapter of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to update the state's definition of fetal death, <a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/?BillNumber=1155&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false" target="_blank">House Bill 1155</a> to prohibit noncompetition agreements, <a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/?BillNumber=6182&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false" target="_blank">Senate Bill 6182</a> to fund direct patient abortion clinical care services, <a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/?BillNumber=2225&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false" target="_blank">House Bill 2225</a> to regulate AI chatbots, and <a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/?BillNumber=2320&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false" target="_blank">House Bill 2320</a> to prohibit the manufacture of 3D-printed firearms.
</p>
<p>
As is always the case, scope of practice proposals consumed a substantial portion of our lobbying capacity this session. Along with the reintroduction of bills to grant prescriptive authority to psychologists and expand it for naturopaths, a new proposal was considered to permit pharmacists to independently diagnose and prescribe. Guided by our policy to analyze whether scope proposals entail adequate education and training to ensure patient safety, the WSMA successfully opposed these bills. At the direction of key legislators, we will be working with the pharmacists over the interim to try to find common ground on an appropriate update to their scope of practice.
</p>
<p>
Another topic of extensive discussion in recent months is the practice of international medical graduates. Upon negotiation with legislators and advocates for the IMG community, the WSMA was able to work to compromise on <a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/?BillNumber=5185&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false" target="_blank">Senate Bill 5185</a>, which creates a pilot program under which IMGs who are currently working in structured settings in the state can work toward licensure as primary care physicians upon attainment of extensive, stipulated education and training.
</p>
<p>
The WSMA was successful in amending or defeating all bills we opposed this session. Those that died include <a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/?BillNumber=2613&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false" target="_blank">House Bill 2613</a> imposing restrictions on drug compounding, <a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/?BillNumber=5921&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false" target="_blank">Senate Bill 5921</a> legalizing psilocybin, and <a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/BillSummary/?BillNumber=5990&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false" target="_blank">Senate Bill 5990</a> permitting advance practice providers to work as local health officers.
</p>
<p>
Legislative advocacy is a team sport. Through the course of session we partnered on these bills and others with the physician organizations that advocate in Olympia, as well as patient groups, the public health community, hospitals, community health centers, and other stakeholders. We’re grateful for these partnerships and the ongoing advocacy efforts of our physician members.
</p>
<h3 id="WhatsNextPromotingPreserving">What's Next : Promoting Patient Access and Preserving Independent Practice</h3>
<p>
At the top of the WSMA's legislative agenda this year were two ongoing priorities: mitigating recent B&amp;O tax increases on independent practices and across-the-board rate increases for Medicaid professional services. Both come with steep price tags and uphill climbs given the state's budget shortfall. But both are also essential for promoting the viability of independent practice, as well as health care affordability and access to care.
</p>
<p>
As we move into the legislative interim, we'll carry these issues and other priorities into conversations with legislative candidates in the 2026 midterm elections. We’ll also be discussing next steps around medical title transparency, as <a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/?BillNumber=2261&amp;Year=2025&amp;Initiative=false" target="_blank">the bill</a> the WSMA developed with physician specialty partners was considered but not passed in the 2026 session.
</p>
<p>
WAMPAC is the nonpartisan campaign arm of the WSMA which works to identify and support candidates for political office whose priorities align with the house of medicine. If you want to support the WSMA's advocacy efforts, consider joining the <a href="https://www.wsma.org/wsma/advocacy/wampac/give_to_wampac/wsma/advocacy/wampac/give_to_wampac.aspx">WAMPAC Diamond Club</a>. Or keep an eye on WSMA communications as we'll be visiting communities across the state in the coming months, creating opportunities for physicians to connect with area candidates.
</p>
<p>
In the meantime, thank you for your support of WSMA's advocacy efforts. This year saw the launch of our Medical Student and Resident Advocacy Program, with more than 70 participants from across the state. We also held a sold-out WSMA Legislative Summit at the Capitol, and numerous physicians took time this session to meet with legislators and testify on bills. We're grateful to all of you who take time out of your busy schedules to advocate for your profession and your patients.
</p>
</div> | 3/16/2026 12:00:00 AM | 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM |
| 2026-legislative-session-update-week-of-mar-9 | 2026 Legislative Session Update: Week of Mar. 9 | Latest_News | Shared_Content/News/Latest_News/2026/2026-legislative-session-update-week-of-mar-9 | <div class="col-md-12">
<div class="col-sm-5 pull-right" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://vimeo.com/1171173151"><img src="/images/Newsletters/latest-news/2026/march/leg-update-video-3-9-26.png" alt="WSMA Legislative Update: Week of Mar. 9, 2026" /></a></div>
<h5>March 9, 2026</h5>
<h2>2026 Legislative Session Update: Week of Mar. 9 - As Session Winds Down, Bill to Preserve Access to Preventive Services and Vaccines Passes</h2>
<p>SMA Lobbyist Malorie Toman on a big win for WSMA's legislative priorities as we head into the last week of session, and a recap of our first medical student and resident advocacy day at the Capitol. <a href="https://vimeo.com/1171173151">Watch the video here</a>.</p>
<p>To get caught up on previous weekly updates from this session, these videos can also be accessed as audio podcasts on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wsma-podcasts/id1702920307">Apple Podcasts</a> or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0PBMBLgHr6e0X3OaMjyJON?si=cece76253c2e4888&amp;nd=1&amp;dlsi=0029b8db89544fb4">Spotify</a>.
</p>
<p>
<strong>Post-Session Webinar, March 13 at noon</strong>
<br />
Join us March 13 for a post-session wrap-up webinar, where WSMA's government affairs team will review the outcomes of session. And as always, we want to hear your feedback and any concerns or issues you or your practice are facing, so we will hold time during the meeting for questions. <a href="https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/BcBz1F42TMu-gikCAcPKlA#/registration">Register for the webinar</a>.
</p>
</div> | 3/9/2026 12:00:00 AM | 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM |