Partnership access line

AN ACT Relating to providing flexibility in the partnership 1
access line assessment to cover administrative costs; and amending 2
RCW 71.24.064. 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:4
Sec. 1. RCW 71.24.064 and 2024 c 358 s 3 are each amended to 5
read as follows: 6
(1) Beginning July 1, 2021, the partnership access lines 7
described in RCW 71.24.061(3)(a), the psychiatric consultation line 8
described in RCW 71.24.062, and the first approach skills training 9
program described in RCW 71.24.061(3)(a)(iv) shall be funded as 10
follows: 11
(a) The authority, in consultation with the University of 12
Washington department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and 13
Seattle children's hospital shall determine the annual costs of 14
operating each program, as well as the authority's costs for 15
administering the programs. 16
(b) For each program, the authority shall calculate the 17
proportion of clients that are covered by programs administered 18
pursuant to chapter 74.09 RCW. The state must cover the cost for 19
programs administered pursuant to chapter 74.09 RCW through state and 20
federal funds, as appropriated. 21
Z-0417.1
HOUSE BILL 2254
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Representatives Callan, Eslick, Reed, Zahn, Thomas, Ormsby, Macri,
Fosse, Bergquist, and Thai; by request of Health Care Authority
Prefiled 01/05/26. Read first time 01/12/26. Referred to Committee
on Appropriations.
p. 1 HB 2254
(c)(i) The authority shall collect a proportional share of 1
program costs from each of the following entities that are not for 2
covered lives under contract with the authority as medicaid managed 3
care organizations: 4
(A) Health carriers, as defined in RCW 48.43.005;5
(B) Self-funded multiple employer welfare arrangements, as 6
defined in RCW 48.125.010; 7
(C) Employers or other entities that provide health care in this 8
state, including self-funding entities or employee welfare benefit 9
plans. 10
(ii) For entities listed in (c)(i) of this subsection, a 11
proportional share of the entity's annual program costs for each 12
program must be calculated by determining the annual cost of 13
operating the program not covered under (b) of this subsection and 14
multiplying it by a fraction that in which the numerator is the 15
entity's total number of resident insured persons among the 16
population served by the program and the denominator is the total 17
number of residents in the state who are served by the program and 18
not covered by programs administered pursuant to chapter 74.09 RCW. 19
The total number of resident insured persons among the population 20
served by the program shall be determined according to the covered 21
lives per calendar year determined by covered person months.22
(iii) The entities listed in (c)(i) of this subsection shall 23
provide information needed to calculate the proportional share of 24
program costs under this section to the authority.25
(((d) The authority's administrative costs for these programs may 26
not be included in the assessments.))27
(iv) Reasonable costs for the administration of the assessment by 28
a contracted third-party administrator may be included in the total 29
assessment on the entities listed in (c)(i) of this subsection as 30
part of the proportional share calculation. The authority's other 31
administrative costs for these programs may not be included in the 32
assessments.33
(2) The authority may contract with a third-party administrator 34
to calculate and administer the assessments of the entities 35
identified in subsection (1)(c)(i) of this section.36
(3) The authority shall develop separate performance measures for 37
the partnership access lines described in RCW 71.24.061(3)(a), and 38
the psychiatric consultation line described in RCW 71.24.062.39
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(4) The University of Washington department of psychiatry and 1
behavioral sciences, in coordination with any hospital that it 2
collaborates with to administer the programs, shall provide quarterly 3
reports to the authority on the demographic data collected by each 4
program, as described in RCW 71.24.063 (1) and (2), any performance 5
measures specified by the authority, and systemic barriers to 6
services, as determined and defined by the authority, the University 7
of Washington, and Seattle children's hospital. 8
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p. 3 HB 2254