H-2135.1
SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1476
State of Washington
69th Legislature
2025 Regular Session
By House Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representative Ormsby; by request of Office of Financial Management)
READ FIRST TIME 04/08/25.
AN ACT Relating to delaying the rebasing of the nursing home payment rates to 2028; amending RCW 74.46.561 ; creating a new section; and declaring an emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that ensuring stability in medicaid nursing home reimbursement rates is essential to maintaining access to high quality long-term care services for Washington's most vulnerable residents. The legislature recognizes that medicaid nursing home payment rates are composed of multiple components, all of which impact the financial sustainability of nursing facilities. The legislature further finds that, due to fiscal constraints facing the state and the need for budget predictability, temporarily freezing medicaid nursing home reimbursement rates at fiscal year 2025 levels for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 is necessary to ensure financial stability for nursing home providers and uninterrupted, quality care for medicaid beneficiaries. Additionally, the legislature acknowledges that RCW 74.46.561 (8) requires periodic rebasing of direct and indirect care components to reflect updated cost data. However, given the temporary rate freeze, the scheduled rebase for fiscal year 2027 must be postponed until fiscal year 2028 to align with the rate stabilization period. This delay ensures that the next rebase reflects a full and accurate assessment of industry costs, maintains budget stability, and prevents unintended financial disruptions for both the state and nursing home providers.
Sec. 2. RCW 74.46.561 and 2023 c 475 s 942 are each amended to read as follows: