Gov. Inslee released his proposed 2024 supplemental budget on Dec. 13. His budget makes significant investments in behavioral health care, housing, education and climate change. (You can read his budget priorities and proposal online here.) Many of his investments are in WSHA’s priority areas, and we appreciate this support.
WSHA’s top priorities for the 2024 session are increasing support for complex discharge patients, supporting rural labor and delivery sustainability, securing funding for Medicaid coverage for partial hospitalization/intensive outpatient treatment programs for adults and increasing Medicaid payments for professional services.
The governor’s budget funds a specialty dementia care rate add on (from $43.48 to $55 per client), funds an increase in Medicaid payments to non-emergent medical transportation providers for return trips longer than 25 miles and allows for expanded pilot participation for the governor’s Complex Discharge Taskforce. For work force and staffing, the budget funds project management teams to reduce the amount of time it takes to complete the health care licensing process, and $426,000 to recruit and train the health care work force in rural and underserved urban areas.
In behavioral health care, the budget funds the Trueblood Diversion Program and provides $6.5 million to increase youth stabilization teams’ support. It provides $2.41 million to cover increases to the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Work Group costs. It funds operation of 75 long-term behavioral health beds through the UW Behavioral Health Teaching Facility, supports operations at Olympic Heritage Behavioral Health (formerly Cascade Hospital) and adds 72 inpatient psychiatric beds for civil conversion patients currently at Western State Hospital. It also funds 10 intensive behavioral health treatment facilities that have received grants from the Department of Commerce.
Read the complete list of highlights and line items in Inside Olympia.
Release of the governor’s proposed budget is the beginning of the state’s supplemental budget development process. The Legislature will convene on Jan. 8, 2024. We hope you have a happy and safe holiday season, and we look forward to representing you in Olympia next year!
Sincerely,
Ashlen Strong
WSHA Vice President, Government Affairs
ashlens@wsha.org
