Type of Action: Sign a pledge

Deadline: N/A

Organization: Whole Washington

Link: Whole Washington - Pledge to Sign

Description: We know that one of the worst places to experience body size discrimination is in the doctor's office and that finding healthcare professionals that work for you can be a huge challenge. With our current healthcare system, if you change or lose jobs, move, or leave the workforce, it means starting all over to find a new doctor. Whole Washington, a grassroots coalition of healthcare professionals and volunteers from across Washington, is working to change that. They have developed a bill that would form a Washington Health Trust (WHT), which would pay doctors/hospitals for their services directly, eliminating the involvement of insurance companies and their profit-driven motives to benefit shareholders. Doctors/hospitals would likely end up getting paid more and patients would pay less- AND everything with a billing code would be covered! Under the WHT, all doctors would be in your network so you could continue seeing the providers who work best for you. The Whole Washington legislation has also been reviewed by FLARE! and revised to ensure that the bill protects against weight discrimination.

If this work sounds exciting to you, sign the pledge letting them know you’ll sign the initiative when it’s time. If you want to do more, fill out the volunteer questionnaire, and Whole Washington's veteran volunteers will help you find the best way to get engaged and make a difference. Volunteering can be as easy as talking to your neighbors, or gym owner, or doctor's office, so don't be intimidated.

Additional Information: Even if you do not live in Washington State, you can sign the pledge to be kept informed of Whole Washington’s efforts.