Pursuant to legislative direction, the State Auditor’s Office (SAO) recently issued a performance audit of the Washington Health Benefit Exchange’s costs and sustainability. The SAO found the exchange’s operating expenses to be reasonable, and that joining the federal health exchange program now would increase the exchange’s overall costs. The SAO also found that the exchange has not been fully reimbursed for Medicaid services. The audit included several recommendations to help the exchange manage its financial self-sustainability in the future.
In its response, the exchange concurred with the findings related to the reasonability of its operating expenses and with the recommendations on financial sustainability. While recognizing the importance of efficacy in allocating Medicaid dollars, the exchange does not see a need to revisit Medicaid reimbursement. (Zosia Stanley)
