Washington to join national effort to improve health equity in Medicaid

Washington State Health Care Authority sent this bulletin at 05/07/2024 01:51 PM PDT

May 7, 2024

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Washington to join national effort to improve health equity in Medicaid

Learning series will help states work on health-related social needs initiatives.

The Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) recently announced our state was selected to participate in the Medicaid Health-Related Social Needs Implementation Learning Series. This opportunity is made possible through Kaiser Permanente’s National Community Benefit Fund at The East Bay Community Foundation.

Health-related social needs (HRSN) are a person’s unmet social needs that can lead to or cause poor health outcomes. Some outcomes include unstable housing, homelessness, and nutrition insecurity—all of which are more common in Medicaid communities—specifically communities of color and disenfranchised and under resourced communities.

What happens in this learning series?

Nine participating states—including Washington—will work with CHCS in developing, implementing, or refining HRSN initiatives for Medicaid populations. Our state will work with and learn from other participating state Medicaid agencies, and share best practices on:

Practical, on-the-ground implementation efforts
Promoting health equity
Centering community voice

Through this national learning series, our goal is to strengthen Washington’s HRSN strategies and programs. This work is in partnership with Medicaid managed care organizations, health care systems, community-based organizations, and others.

We recognize the importance of providing support for and addressing HRSN. In doing so, our state can improve health equity within the services and supports available to Apple Health (Medicaid) enrollees. Most importantly, it can help people become their healthiest selves.

About CHCS

The Center for Health Care Strategies is a policy design and implementation partner devoted to improving outcomes for people enrolled in Medicaid. CHCS supports organizations across the nation to make care more effective, efficient, and equitable. For more information, visit www.chcs.org.

Learn more about the learning series.

About the Health Care Authority (HCA)

Functioning as both the state's largest health care purchaser and its behavioral health authority, the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) is a leader in ensuring Washington residents have the opportunity to be as healthy as possible.

There are three pillars of our work: Apple Health (Medicaid); the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) and School Employees Benefits Board (SEBB) programs; and behavioral health and recovery. Under these pillars, HCA purchases health care, including behavioral health treatment for more than 2.7 million Washington residents and provides behavioral health prevention, crisis, and recovery supports to all Washington residents.

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

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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.

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