Bookmark & ShareDecember 30, 2011 - Washington State Medicaid Earns $17 million CMS Performance Bonus
Washington State has been awarded nearly $17 million by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as a bonus for Washington State's efforts to identify and enroll eligible children in Medicaid coverage.
"CMS commends your ongoin...
December 15, 2011 - Governor Gregoire Names Nine to Governing Board of State's Health Benefits Exchange
OLYMPIA - Gov. Chris Gregoire today appointed nine Washingtonians to serve as the first governing board of the state's Health Benefits Exchange, a new health insurance marketplace that will be available to individuals and small businesses beginni...
December 8, 2011 - Seven Health Plans Submit Bids in Joint Procurement of Managed Care Medicaid and Basic Health
OLYMPIA – The Health Care Authority announced on Wednesday that seven health plans have submitted bids on a 2012-13 contract that will provide managed care for more than 700,000 Medicaid clients and Basic Health subscribers.
The seven health...
December 1, 2011 - Washington State Medicaid, DSHS are Leaders in Preventing Overdoses of Mental Health Drugs for Children
OLYMPIA – Washington State's Medicaid program and the Department of Social and Health Services have been working together since 2004 on programs to promote safe prescribing of mental health medication and psychotropic drugs in Medicaid children, inc...
November 10, 2011 - Washington State Medicaid Director Doug Porter's Statement on Today's Hospital Assessment Ruling
The King County Superior Court has upheld Washington State's position on the Washington State Hospital Association's lawsuit challenging the Legislature's decision in 2011 to adopt changes to the Hospital Safety Net Assessment and Medicaid payment r...
November 10, 2011 - Washington State Medicaid Lifts Three-Visit Limit on Non-Emergency Use of Emergency Rooms
OLYMPIA – Health Care Authority Director Doug Porter said he is lifting a month-old three-visit limit on non-emergency use of hospital emergency rooms after a Thurston County Superior Court judge held the state did not follow proper rule-making proc...
November 9, 2011 - Washington State Health Care Authority helps link up veterans and their families with federal benefits
OLYMPIA, Wash. - One way to help celebrate Veterans Day this month is to help spread the word about a program that connects Washington State veterans and their families with federal benefits they have earned with their military service.
...
November 7, 2011 - Health Care Authority Lists Health Technologies Proposed for Review in 2012
OLYMPIA – The Health Technology Assessment (HTA) program has published a list of medical technologies and procedures proposed for review by a committee of practicing health care clinicians during the coming year.
The HTA is accepting ...
November 3, 2011 - Health Care Authority schedules open enrollment benefit fairs in Tumwater, Lacey, and Olympia beginning Friday
OLYMPIA - The Health Care Authority's Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) Program started its annual open enrollment on November 1, which allows state employees and retirees to make changes to their health coverage for 2012. PEBB members can lear...
November 3, 2011 - Washington State looking for "systems integrator" to work on Insurance Exchange under health care reform
OLYMPIA - The Health Care Authority has invited vendors to submit proposals to provide development, implementation and hosting services for implementation of the Washington State Health Benefit Exchange required under national health care reform.<...
October 26, 2011 - Basic Health Will Offer Reenrollment to 11,000 Former Members
Letters are going out by the end of this week to 11,000 former Basic Health members who were removed from the state-subsidized health plan for low-income residents in March when eligibility was limited to those who were eligible under federal rules....
October 18, 2011 - Health Care Authority says Regence making progress in reducing backlog of state retirees' claims
OLYMPIA - Health Care Authority Deputy Director Heidi Robbins Brown said today (Tuesday, October 18) that the third party administrator of state employee and retiree health benefits is making solid progress in cutting a backlog of retiree medical cl...
September 27, 2011 - Medicaid Customer Service Center Expands Hours of Operation
Beginning October 3, 2011, health care providers and Medicaid Clients will have increased access to the Medicaid Customer Service Center.
The new hours for providers will be from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; the hours for clients will be from 7:3...
September 22, 2011 - Washington State Medicaid to Limit Non-Emergency Use of Emergency Rooms, Effective October 1
OLYMPIA – Medicaid is notifying its clients this month that it is changing coverage for some health care services as a consequence of budget reductions for the 2011- 2013 biennium, including a legislatively mandated limit on non-emergency visits to ...
September 22, 2011 - Health Care Authority’s List of Optional Budget Cuts Includes Disability Lifeline, Basic Health, Children’s Coverage
OLYMPIA – The Health Care Authority submitted optional budget cuts of 5 percent and 10 percent to the Governor’s office today, including termination of the Basic Health plan, an Apple Health for Kids program that covers immigrant children, and the D...
September 15, 2011 - Health plan changes for Medicaid clients coming October 1
Clallam County residents covered by Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and eligible for Healthy Options managed care enrollment were notified they will be assigned to Regence Blue Shield or Molina Healthcare of Washington eff...
September 13, 2011 - Health Care Authority to create innovative delivery system with joint procurement of Healthy Options, Basic Health
OLYMPIA – The Health Care Authority opened bidding today on a 2012 contract that will provide managed care for more than 700,000 Medicaid clients and Basic Health subscribers, establishing an innovative, person-centered and cost-effective health car...
September 12, 2011 - HCA Engages Multiple Audiences as K-12 Public School Employee Health Benefits Report is Drafted for Legislature
State agencies, legislators, school employees, administrators and insurance executives participating on five project teams
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Health Care Authority is reaching out to a diverse group of Washington p...
September 9, 2011 - Health Care Authority Spotlights Information Technology, Unveils New Website During “HealthIT Week”
OLYMPIA -- The Health Care Authority is showcasing its current health information technology initiatives this week, including the debut of a new state website – www.healthIT.wa.gov – as part of the Sept. 12-...
September 8, 2011 - Public education meetings scheduled for Washington State’s Health Benefit Exchange
OLYMPIA – The Health Care Authority (HCA) today announced the Health Benefit Exchange public outreach and education meetings scheduled to occur throughout the state during the week of September 12. Representatives from the Governor's Office, HCA, co...
