The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) seeks to help residents in improving their health and well-being. These resources can assist you in exploring your health care options.

Choosing a primary care doctor

It's important to have a primary care doctor you know and trust.

• Read five tips for choosing a provider
• Is your doctor right for you?
• Find a provider for public employee benefits

Choosing procedures wisely

Some of the most common medical procedures may be overused. The Washington Health Alliance's Choosing Wisely campaign focuses on cervical cancer screening, antibiotics, cardiac and other imaging, and early elective births.

Understanding health insurance coverage

• Our partners at the Health Benefit Exchange offer easy-to-understand information about health insurance on their Know Your Plan page. From shopping for a plan to understanding your bill, this information is helpful for anyone who has basic questions about health insurance.
• The federal HeathCare.gov website includes a section on using health coverage to stay healthy and get the care you need . This section includes videos and a user-friendly publication, From Coverage to Care: A Roadmap to Better Care and a Healthier You.
• The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation offers resources in English and Spanish to help anyone shopping or helping someone shop for health coverage within the health insurance marketplaces.

Owning your health

As health care consumers, we have a big role in making sure we get the right care. The Washington Health Alliance's Own Your Health campaign offers tools and resources to help make sure you are getting high quality care, and a good experience at a fair price.

Making shared decisions with your provider

Shared decision making is a process that allows patients and their providers to make health care decisions together, taking into account the best scientific evidence available, as well as the patient’s values and preferences.

Patient decision aids are tools that can help people engage in shared health decisions with their health care provider. Research shows that use of patient decision aids leads to increased knowledge, more accurate risk perception, and fewer patients remaining passive or undecided about their care.

• Learn more about shared decision making
• Learn more about patient decision aids
• See a list of state-certified aids

Finding support during serious illness or end of life

Know what your options are when you or a loved one are recovering from a serious illness or entering the end stages of life. 

• Palliative care
• Hospice
• End of life care

On June 30, 2023, CMS approved MTP to continue for five more years. Our state's MTP renewal, called MTP 2.0, will help widen our reach to provide more programs, services, and supports to our most vulnerable populations.

An overview of MTP 2.0

To read complete details about the following graphic, read the long description.

MTP 2.0 infographic: long description

The graphic above illustrates the various programs under the Medicaid Transformation Project (MTP) renewal, called MTP 2.0.

On the left side of the graphic

We provide this language about MTP 2.0:

“The Medicaid Transformation Project (MTP) is Washington State’s Section 1115 Medicaid demonstration waiver. MTP allows our state to create and continue to develop projects, activities, and services that improve Washington’s health care system. All MTP programs support Apple Health (Medicaid) enrollees. In June 2023, the federal government approved MTP to continue for an additional five years. We call the MTP renewal ‘MTP 2.0,’ which will help widen our reach to provide more programs, services, and supports to our most vulnerable populations.”

On the bottom left corner

A legend describes how to view the illustration part of the graphic. Each MTP program is designed as a hexagon-shaped tile (with six sides), which connects to a topic (also designed as a hexagon-shaped tile). The topic and program(s) create an individual cluster, and all clusters connect together. Each cluster has a specific color—and depending on if a program is new or continuing—the shade of the cluster will vary. New programs are a darker shade; programs continuing from the initial MTP waiver period have a lighter shade.

The clusters are as follows:

Behavioral health—colored purple—has three programs:

• Both the mental health IMD and substance use disorder (SUD) IMD programs are continuing from the initial MTP waiver period
• Contingency management for SUD treatment is a new MTP 2.0 program

Older and aging adults and family caregivers—colored blue—has two programs:

• Medicaid Alternative Care (MAC) and Tailored Supports for Older Adults (TSOA) are continuing
• Presumptive Eligibility is new

Housing and employment—colored green—has one program:

• Foundational Community Supports is continuing

Health-related social needs (HRSN)—colored gold—has three programs:

• Native Hub, other HRSN services, and Community Hubs are new

HRSN system—colored orange—has one program:

• HRSN infrastructure is new

Reentry from a carceral setting—colored grey blue—has one program:

• Reentry services for individuals leaving a prison, jail, or youth correctional facility is new

Continuous enrollment—colored red—has two programs:

• Continuous Apple Health enrollment for children, ages 0–5 and Apple Health postpartum coverage expansion are new

On the bottom of the graphic

We provide this definition:

“IMD stands for ‘institution for mental diseases.’ IMDs are hospitals, nursing facilities, or other institutions of more than 16 beds that are primarily engaged in providing diagnosis, treatment, or care of persons with mental diseases, which includes SUD. We acknowledge the term ‘mental disease’ may be harmful or stigmatizing. We use it in this context only to reflect the legal terminology used in statute."

Led by our chief medical officer, we support several clinical collaborations and initiatives to help ensure the more than 2 million Washington residents for whom we purchase health care--through Apple Health (Medicaid), the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) Program, and the School Employees Benefits Board (SEBB) Program--get access to high-quality care.