Washington State continues efforts on health care cost containment

Washington State Health Care Authority sent this bulletin at 02/18/2022 02:49 PM PST

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

Washington State continues efforts on health care cost containment

Our state continues to work toward containing health care costs and finding ways to make health care more affordable for Washington residents. Programs at the Health Care Authority (HCA) aimed at increasing health care cost transparency and controlling health care cost growth include:

The Health Care Cost Transparency Board is focusing on reducing health care cost growth and increasing price transparency.
Prescription drug price transparency focuses on creating an annual report on how prescription drugs affect health care costs.
The Washington State All Payer Claims Database (WA-APCD) is a tool used to collect health care claims data for reporting, analytics, and to help the public make their health care decisions. The WA-APCD supports health care and payment reform while addressing the need for cost, quality, and utilization transparency.
Value-based purchasing (VBP) helps us achieve a healthier Washington by containing costs while improving outcomes, patient and provider experience, and equity.

Other agencies and organizations across the state are also focusing on efforts like these. Just this week, the Washington Health Alliance (WHA) released their Total Cost of Care (TCOC) tool.

As described by WHA, this tool shows how much it cost to provide health care services to people across Washington State from 2018-2020. The TCOC examined health care services like surgery; hospitalization; skilled nursing facilities; radiology; urgent and preventative care; allergy testing; prescription drugs; ambulance; and more.

The TCOC can help provide another perspective, especially when looking at commercial costs. Additional context is needed, though, when looking at Medicaid costs, which can provide a more complete picture of the total cost of care in Washington State.

For example, since our state has prioritized VBP, not all health care expenditures are captured in claims data. Additionally, Medicaid makes supplemental, or extra payments to hospitals and other providers, which is not captured in claims data.

With our state’s continued and combined efforts, we’re one step closer to making health care more affordable for the people of Washington.

About the Health Care Authority (HCA)

The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) is committed to whole-person care, integrating physical health and behavioral health services for better results and healthier residents.

HCA purchases health care for more than 2.5 million Washington residents through Apple Health (Medicaid), the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) Program, the School Employees Benefits Board (SEBB) Program, and the COFA Islander Health Care Program. As the largest health care purchaser in the state, we lead the effort to transform health care, helping ensure Washington residents have access to better health and better care at a lower cost.

Please do not reply directly to this message. For more information, visit the HCA website, where you'll also find contact information.

Disclosure notice

All messages we send via GovDelivery are subject to public disclosure, as are the names and email addresses of those who sign up for email notifications.

Nondiscrimination

The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) complies with all applicable federal and Washington state civil rights laws and is committed to providing equal access to our services. Visit HCA’s website to view complete nondiscrimination statements.