WSR 13-20-031
HEALTH CARE AUTHORITY
[Filed September 23, 2013, 3:09 p.m.]
NOTICE
Title or Subject: Medicaid State Plan Amendment (SPA) 13-28.
Effective Date: January 1, 2013.
Description: The agency intends to submit medicaid SPA 13-28 to:
Comply with the state budget approved by the legislature in ESSB 5034, which recognizes naturopathic physicians as physicians who can enroll with medicaid and bill medicaid for physician-related primary care services provided to medicaid clients.
Amend the current benefit for outpatient mental health services that are part of the benefit administered by the fee-for-service and managed care plans. The benefit limitation on office visits, twenty visits for clients under eighteen years of age and twelve visits for clients over eighteen years of age, is being eliminated; there will be no limit on office visits. In addition, the list of licensed professionals who can provide services to clients age nineteen and older will be expanded to include licensed psychologists, mental health counselors, social workers, and marriage and family therapists. This change is being made to assure the agency's compliance with the essential benefit health care provisions of the Affordable Care Act.
The agency anticipates no increase in annual aggregate expenditures associated with recognizing naturopathic physicians as medicaid providers. The changes to mental health services are estimated at $858,813 in annual aggregate expenditures.
For additional information, contact Gail Kreiger, Healthcare Benefits and Utilization Management, 626 8th Avenue S.E., Olympia, WA 98501, phone (360) 725-1681, TDD/TTY 800-848-5429, fax (360) 725-1328, e-mail gail.kreiger@hca.wa.gov.