The 60-day legislative session ends on March 10th. 

Also in Washington, the Health Care Authority (HCA) will submit to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services by July 15, 2022, a request to renew the Section 1115 Medicaid demonstration waiver, called the Medicaid Transformation Project (MTP), which will allow the state to create and continue to develop projects, activities, and services that improve Washington’s health care system using federal Medicaid funding. The new proposals include: 

• Continuous Medicaid enrollment for children 
• Extending coverage for postpartum services 
• Re-entry services for individuals who are exiting jail, prison, or other correctional facility 
• Enhancements to long-term services and support (LTSS) 

Finally in Washington, the Health Care Authority (HCA) aimed at increasing health care cost transparency and controlling health care cost growth include: 

• The Health Care Cost Transparency Board is focusing on reducing health care cost growth and increasing price transparency. 
• Prescription drug price transparency focuses on creating an annual report on how prescription drugs affect health care costs. 
• The Washington State All Payer Claims Database (WA-APCD) is a tool used to collect health care claims data for reporting, analytics, and to help the public make their health care decisions. The WA-APCD supports health care and payment reform while addressing the need for cost, quality, and utilization transparency. 
• Value-based purchasing (VBP) helps us achieve a healthier Washington by containing costs while improving outcomes, patient and provider experience, and equity. 

For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.