Brian Heywood: Washington’s failed regulations trigger another brutal spike in premiums

Washington is currently facing a 21% spike in health care premiums. And Let’s Go Washington founder Brian Heywood is calling the incompetence to blame.

“Another year of increased premiums will be hard to hear for the thousands of Washingtonians who buy their own health coverage,” Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer said. She added, “We know from experience that when premiums become less affordable, younger and healthier people drop coverage and those who need care find a way to keep it. The state legislature is considering options to increase the affordability of health care, but it’s more urgent than ever that we start seriously moving forward universal coverage. We cannot afford to wait.”

Senator Patty Murray was quick to point fingers at Republicans, claiming they ‘skipped town’ instead of taking action to prevent the increase. She attributes the rising costs to the expiration of the ACA tax credits, arguing in a video posted on X that Republicans are refusing to support their extension.

But Heywood responded to Murray’s post, calling the situation a redundant and deeply flawed pattern. He remarked, “This pattern is so well worn it is silly.”

Regulatory Overreach Driving Health Care Crisis

Heywood describes a recurring cycle: lawmakers pass legislation that strips away consumer choice through excessive regulation. Predictably, prices rise while quality declines year after year.

At that point, government officials shift the blame to conservatives, despite the progressive policies driving the problem. They then promise more regulation—insisting that this time it will work—only to overregulate further. The cycle repeats endlessly, with one party deflecting blame and refusing to take responsibility for the damaging consequences of its policies, leaving families and small businesses to bear the burden.

Heywood has long championed individual empowerment over bureaucratic control. His criticism of Washington State’s health care system underscores the importance of allowing people to make their own decisions, rather than having the government dictate them.

From Bureaucracy to Choice

Conservatives have consistently warned about the repercussions of centralized control over health care: skyrocketing prices, fewer options, and institutional inefficiency. Today, those warnings seem more relevant than ever.

Instead of doubling down on failed policies and finger-pointing, Heywood advocates for restoring transparency and patient choice. The current approach not only harms the economy—it erodes trust and freedom. His solution: simplify regulations and let families decide what’s best for them.

Washington residents deserve a system that works for them—not one that traps them in a cycle of rising costs and limited options.

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