Please note: Washington state will not be moving forward with enrollment of Medicare/Medicaid customers into Medicaid managed care.
The Health Care Authority (HCA) was recently notified that one of the two HealthPath Washington health plans, Community Health Plan of Washington, has decided to withdraw its participation in the project. After consultation with our federal partners, the State has decided to stop working toward implementation of the capitated managed care project for people who are eligible for Medicaid and Medicare. The program had been slated to go live in King and Snohomish counties on July 1, 2015.
Washington already operates a fee-for-service model demonstration to integrate service delivery through a health home model that serves Medicare-Medicaid enrollees in all Washington counties except for King and Snohomish. This program is ongoing and is not disrupted by the cancellation of the fully integrated managed care model.
HCA has been partnering with the Department of Social and Health Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to design HealthPath Washington. The agencies will consider other alternatives to improve services for Medicaid enrollees, including those dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare in King and Snohomish counties.
The project managers would like to express their gratitude to the community partners, including the HealthPath Washington Advisory Team, who have donated countless hours to the success of the project. This included early input in the design, reviewing and commenting on the draft contract, and meeting with state officials for months to provide advice and counsel. Those contributions to state agencies’ development of better systems of care will be incorporated into planning for other integration projects.
For more information, please contact Alice Lind at alice.lind@hca.wa.gov and/or Candace Goehring at GoehrCS@dshs.wa.gov.
