Washington State's general age of majority for health care is 18. However, a minor can get services without parental consent in some cases. See the "Minor Consent in Washington State" table, which follows.
For more information or to get a release form, please call the Community Health Plan customer service team at 1-800-440-1561 toll free or email customercare@chpw.org. If you are hearing or speech impaired, please call TTY 1-866-816-2479 toll free or local 206-613-8875.
| Service | Need Only Minor Consent? | Need Parent or Guardian Consent? | Need to Notify Parent or Guardian? | Notes & Source |
Emergency medical services | Yes | No | No | If parent's consent is not readily available, need for consent is satisfied and minor can get the services. |
Non-emergency medical services | No, unless Mature Minor Doctrine applies. (See Notes & Source.) | Yes, unless minor meets Mature Minor Doctrine. | No | If it is not a medical emergency or one of the other services listed in this table, minors may give consent under the Mature Minor Doctrine. They must understand what might happen as a result of a medical procedure. To decide if a patient is a mature minor, providers look at the minor's:
|
Immunizations | No, unless Mature Minor Doctrine applies. | Yes, unless minor meets Mature Minor Doctrine. | No | Minors may get immunizations without parental consent under the Mature Minor Doctrine. (See the Non-Emergency Medical Services Notes & Source column.) |
Sexually transmitted disease testing & treatment (including HIV) | Yes, if 14 or older | No | No | Some agencies, such as Public Health – Seattle & King County, test or treat people of any age because their mission is to prevent or control the spread of disease. |
Birth control services | Yes (at any age) | No | No | Minors may get or refuse birth control services at any age without consent. |
Abortion & abortion-related services | Yes | No | No | Minors also do not need the consent of the father of the child. |
Prenatal care services | Yes (at any age) | No | No |
|
Outpatient mental health treatment | Yes, if 13 or older | No | No | The parents are not notified without minor consent. |
Inpatient mental health treatment | Yes, if 13 or older | No | Yes | No consent needed to get the services, but parents must be notified. |
Outpatient substance abuse treatment | Yes, if 13 or older | No | See Source and Notes. | Provider will inform parents that minor is getting this treatment within 7 business days if:
|
Inpatient substance abuse treatment | No, unless minor is Child In Need of Services (CHINS). | Yes, unless CHINS | Yes, unless CHINS |
|
* This table is adapted from the resource provided by Northwest Justice Project .
