HCAW Government Affairs Update

The legislature may be out of session, but HCAW policy efforts are moving forward. 

Medicaid Home Health Reimbursement Rates  

Thank you to all the agencies that submitted letters to DSHS Secretary Robin Arnold-Williams.  The losses you related and the stories of patient successes you shared helped emphasize the points made at the recent meeting with the Secretary, representatives from the Governors office, etc.  

A multi-effort approach to getting the Medicaid rates raised looks like the best strategy going forward, especially given the State's budget deficit.  This includes working to be included in the DSHS budget request, submitting a bill to the legislature, and participating on a steering committee with Greg Pang as our representative.  

Home health is part of the solution to the State's Medicaid spending dilemma.  As we find identify a sponsor for our legislation and move forward with the process, we will be looking to you for grassroots support.   

Many thanks to Leslie Emerick for keeping this moving.  

Long-Term Care Worker Training

HCAW continues to support the Community Care Coalition of Washington (CCCW) and its efforts related to Initiative 1029, regarding long-term care worker training.  Initative supporters gathered signatures on the wrong form.  Instead of having voters sign petitions to have the Initiative placed on the ballot, the petitions were to have the issue go before the legislature.  

This is a significant difference, not just a minor typographical error.  There is a tremendous difference between sending an initiative to the legislature and sending one directly to the people.  And the petitions voters signed clearly indicated the issue was going to be sent to the legislature.  That is why CCCW filed a lawsuit to prevent the Initiative from going as an issue directly to the voters.  

Far from disenfranchising voters, the suit instead argues that the measure should go to the legislature as the voters intended.

For more information on the Initiative, including talking points and the opportunity to provide financial support, please click here.