WSR 13-17-105

PREPROPOSAL STATEMENT OF INQUIRY

[Filed August 21, 2013, 9:52 a.m.]

Subject of Possible Rule Making: WAC 182-500-0045 Medical assistance definitions—H, 182-500-0085 Medical assistance definitions—P, 182-501-0060 Health care coverage—Program benefits packages—Scope of service categories, 182-501-0065 Health care coverage—Description of categories of service, and possibly other related sections.

Statutes Authorizing the Agency to Adopt Rules on this Subject: RCW 41.05.021; 3ESHB 5034 (chapter 4, Laws of 2013); and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148).

Reasons Why Rules on this Subject may be Needed and What They Might Accomplish: The health care authority (HCA) will be reviewing and updating as necessary its program benefits packages and scope of health care service categories effective January 1, 2014, to comply with changes required by the federal Affordable Care Act and recently passed state budget. Some of the changes include adding alternative benefit plan (ABP) as a program; adding applied behavior analysis (ABA) and habilitation services as categories of service; adding preventive exams, vaccinations, and screening, brief intervention, referral and treatment (SBIRT) for chemical dependency to health care professional services; defining habilitation services; and adding naturopathy to the definition of "physician."

Other Federal and State Agencies that Regulate this Subject and the Process Coordinating the Rule with These Agencies: Department of social and health services (division of behavioral health and recovery and division of vocational rehabilitation).

Process for Developing New Rule: HCA welcomes the public to take part in developing this rule. If interested, contact the person identified below to receive an early rule draft to review. After the early review, HCA will send a notice of proposed rule making (CR-102) to everyone receiving this notice and anyone who requests a copy.

Interested parties can participate in the decision to adopt the new rule and formulation of the proposed rule before publication by contacting Kevin Sullivan, HCA Rules Coordinator, P.O. Box 42716, Olympia, WA 98504-2716, phone (360) 725-1344, fax (360) 586-9727, TTY 1-800-848-5429, e-mail kevin.sullivan@hca.wa.gov.

August 21, 2013

Kevin M. Sullivan

Rules Coordinator