
WA Bill Would Provide Taxpayer-Funded Insurance for College Athletes
Three Senators in WA have proposed a bill that would provide taxpayer-funded insurance for NCAA collegiate athletes, but only at public schools.
The bill would provide the insurance for public four-year schools
Senators Valdez, Boehnke, and Nobles all have sponsored SB (senate bill) 5158, which would extend insurance benefits to athletes at four-year public or state schools, which include UW, WSU, Central, Eastern and Western WA Universities.
According to MyNorthest.com (KIRO):
"It would provide and pay health insurance for student athletes enrolled in public four-year institutions like the University of Washington, Washington State University and Western Washington University.
"It would also extend benefits to former athletes requiring post-eligibility healthcare for sports-related injuries."
Currently, the NCAA requires athletes to be covered, but does not provide any means to pay for it. Last year, they did, however, expand or provide enhanced benefits, including healthcare coverage and mental health support.
The landscape of collegiate athletics is changing rapidly, with the onset of NIL (name image likeness) allowing athletes to make money off themselves and receive money, and some are wondering how that would affect who would pay for this insurance.

The Senate bill does not address NIL. While this only applies to public schools, it will be interesting to see the reaction of the other NCAA Division III schools in WA (including Whitworth, PLU, and the University of Puget Sound), and Division II such as Seattle Pacific and St. Martin's. This bill would also not apply to Gonzaga.
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