(1) Beginning July 1, 2021, and for each state fiscal year thereafter, reimbursement for emergency ambulance transports provided by ambulance transport providers shall be increased by application of an add-on to the associated medicaid fee-for-service payment schedule. The add-on increase to the fee-for-service payment schedule under this section shall be calculated by June 15, 2021, and shall remain the same for later state fiscal years, to the extent the authority determines federal financial participation is available. The authority shall calculate the projections required by this subsection based on the number of emergency ambulance transports and gross revenue data submitted pursuant to RCW
74.70.040. The fee-for-service add-on shall be equal to the quotient of the available fee amount projected by the authority on or before June 15, 2021, for the 2021–22 state fiscal year, divided by the total medicaid emergency ambulance transports, projected by the authority on or before June 15, 2021, for the 2021–22 state fiscal year. The resulting fee-for-service payment schedule amounts after the application of this section shall be equal to the sum of the medicaid fee-for-service payment schedule amount and the add-on increase.
(2) The increased payments required by this section shall be funded solely from the following:
(a) The quality assurance fee set forth in RCW
74.70.050, along with any interest or other investment income earned on those funds; and
(b) Federal reimbursement and any other related federal funds.
(3) The proceeds of the quality assurance fee set forth in RCW
74.70.050, the matching amount provided by the federal government, and any interest earned on those proceeds shall be used to supplement, and not to supplant, existing funding for emergency ambulance transports provided by ambulance transport providers.
(4) Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter, the authority may seek federal approval to implement any add-on increase to the fee-for-service payment schedule pursuant to this section for any state fiscal year or years, as applicable, on a time-limited basis for a fixed program period, as determined by the authority.