Bookmark & ShareFor Immediate Release: 06/01/2012
Contact: Doug Porter, Director, Health Care Authority, 360-725-1040; Heidi Robbins Brown, Deputy Director, Health Care Authority 360-725-1040; Preston Cody, Assistant Director, HCA, Health Care Services 360-725-1786
OLYMPIA – The Health Care Authority announced today (June 1, 2012) that two new health plans have been added to the regional service area assignments for Clark County - the last of the state's 39 counties with final managed care arrangements for Medicaid and Basic Health programs.
The latest decision was possible after Columbia United Providers - a plan that lost in the original bidding earlier this year - contracted as a provider network with Community Health Plan of Washington. The agreement means that Community Health Plan has a provider network that is adequate to serve the Medicaid and Basic Health clients in Clark County.
Doug Porter, Health Care Authority director, said Basic Health and Medicaid clients in Clark County currently covered by Columbia United Providers will be able to choose to stay with those providers going into the new contract period, which begins July 1. In all, Clark County clients now will be able to choose between four plans - Molina Healthcare of Washington, Inc., Coordinated Care Corp., UnitedHealthcare and Community Health Plan.
Porter said the agency also is delaying a June 4 Basic Health open enrollment deadline until 5 p.m. June 15 - giving Basic Health clients more time to choose between the plans.
The four plans -- plus Amerigroup, a fifth plan -- will provide managed care for up to 800,000 Medicaid and Basic Health clients statewide. Services under the new contracts begin July 1, 2012, and stretch through 2013.
Molina and Coordinated Care Corp. were originally selected to provide services in Clark County but did not confirm provider networks that could handle the county's 60,000 Medicaid clients. As a result, Community Health Plan and UnitedHealthcare both asked HCA to allow them to expand their services into Clark County. Community Health Plan and UnitedHealthcare then arranged their own expanded provider networks in the county.
Preston Cody, Assistant HCA Director for Health Care Services, said that HCA agreed to the Community Health Plan and UnitedHealthcare requests because all contracted plans have the opportunity during the term of the contract to apply to cover other service areas.
Cody said the Basic Health open enrollment deadline change will apply statewide, giving Basic Health members more time to evaluate the plans in their counties and to decide which they prefer. Members who have already signed up for a new plan have the option of switching to another, he said.
Healthy Options clients faced with choosing a new plan will be auto-enrolled in one of their county’s managed care plans. (Current Columbia United Providers clients will be assigned to Community Health Plan; current Kaiser clients will be assigned to Molina.) However, everyone also will have the option of selecting a different plan that they prefer.
Cody said the state will work with both Basic Health and Medicaid clients statewide over the next month to minimize confusion in the transition and make sure families remain connected to their current providers wherever possible.
To see service areas awarded for Basic Health and Healthy Options, please visit www.hca.wa.gov/managed_care/service_areas.html
For additional information and background:
The Joint Procurement website is at www.hca.wa.gov/procurement
Questions and Answers about the procurement are at www.hca.wa.gov/managed_care/faq.html
FOR ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND, CONTACT:
Jim Stevenson, Communications, 360-725-1915 stevejh2@hca.wa.gov (Pager: 360-971-4067)
The Health Care Authority does not discriminate and provides equal access to its programs and services for all persons without regard to race, color, gender, religion, creed, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, age, veteran’s status or the presence of any physical, sensory or mental disability.
NR 012-015
