Title or Subject: Medicaid State Plan Amendment (SPA) 13-003.

     Effective Date: January 1, 2013.

     Description: The health care authority intends to submit medicaid state plan amendment (SPA) 13-003 to comply with the federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services' directive to states to amend their medicaid state plans to be consistent with the new requirements for Medicare Part D. Effective January 1, 2013, Medicare Part D will start covering barbiturates used in the treatment of epilepsy, cancer, or a chronic mental health disorder, and benzodiazepines. A state that covers these drugs under its drug benefit will continue to be required to cover barbiturates to the extent it covers that drug for a condition other than the three covered by Part D, and must amend it [the] medicaid state plan to be consistent with the requirements of Part D; therefore the state intends to submit SPA 13-003. This SPA is expected to increase total annual aggregate expenditures by $1,792,850.

     For additional information, contact Charles Agte, Pharmacy, P.O. Box 45506, Olympia, WA 98504-5506, phone (360) 725-1301, TDD/TTY 1-800-848-5429, fax (360) 725-2141, e-mail charles.agte@hca.wa.gov.