ANALYSIS OF HOUSE BILL 2366

Providing free infectious disease testing to good samaritans.

Health Care Committee                           19 January 1998

Washington State House of Representatives

SPONSORS:  Representatives Carlson and Pennington.

PURPOSE:

To provide free infectious disease testing for good samaritans without related insurance coverage.

BACKGROUND:

Current law [RCW 4.24.300] provides persons (commonly referred to as Agood samaritans@) who provide emergency assistance or transportation  without compensation certain immunity from liability.

Proponents of this measure believe that such emergency assistance frequently involves mouth to mouth resuscitation or other emergency medical procedures that could result in the exchange of bodily fluids  exposing the good samaritan to serious infectious diseases, e.g.,  hepatitis, tuberculosis, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); further, that a number of good samaritans may be unable to pay for the testing necessary for detecting infectious diseases. 

SUMMARY:

Any good samaritan who comes in contact with bodily fluids while rendering emergency assistance shall be permitted to have infectious disease testing provided by a local public health department free of charge, if her or his health insurance does not cover such test.  The Department of Health shall adopt rules to implement these provisions.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

Upon enactment.