AN ACT Relating to federal medicaid payment reconciliations; adding a new section to chapter 74.09 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.  (1) Rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers play an extremely important role in the state's health care system. They are dedicated to maintaining access to health care in rural areas and to underserved areas and populations while constantly striving to improve the quality of health care offered in their communities. These clinics and centers have grown increasingly important as an answer to the access problem with the state's recent expansion of medicaid.

(2) These entities are required to navigate complicated payment, reimbursement, and reconciliation models with both federal and state governments. Additionally, they are burdened with unnecessary and avoidable regulatory hurdles and delays which have the potential to put their solvency and future at risk.

(3) Therefore, it is the intent of the legislature to grant these entities a level of stability and predictability by requiring the health care authority to complete its annual reconciliation process within two years.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 74.09 RCW to read as follows:

Beginning January 1, 2016, the authority must complete an annual reconciliation of enhancement payments for federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics in compliance with 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1396a (bb)(5)(A) within two years of the close of the calendar year for which the payments are made.

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