Bill > HB1466

This bill modifies the hospital safety net assessment fund, primarily by increasing the biennial contribution from hospitals to be used in lieu of state general fund payments for Medicaid hospital services. Specifically, the bill changes the contribution from $452 million to $527 million for the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium, and sets a future amount of $552 million per fiscal biennium beginning July 1, 2027. The fund can be used for various purposes, including making payments to hospitals and managed care organizations, covering administrative expenses (up to $2 million per biennium), and allocating $160 million per biennium for postacute hospital transitions. The bill also maintains provisions for quality improvement incentives, funding for psychiatry and family medicine residency programs, and includes safeguards for potential federal compliance issues. The new funding levels are contingent upon maintaining Medicaid payment levels at least as high as those on July 1, 2022, and any unexpended balance will carry over to reduce future assessments. The bill's implementation is tied to the effective date of a related section in a previous law from 2023.

Budget and Finance

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1466&Year=2025&Initiative=false