Healthcare will be top of mind when Washington's state lawmakers kick off the 2023 legislative session on Jan. 9.
Among the highest priorities for some stakeholders is a request to raise Medicaid reimbursement rates to hospitals through a directed payment program, The Chronicle reported Jan. 6. It would be the first update to Medicaid rates in the state in 20 years.
Rather than requesting funds from Washington's state general fund, the program would tax hospitals, triggering payments from the federal government, the report said.
"Hospitals are a large industry in our state, and there's a little bit of a fear that people think hospitals are too big to fail," Whiteaker said. "We are signaling that we have significant financial concerns."