Knowledge Base

The American Recovery Reinvestment Act, enacted by President Obama and Congress in February 2009, has provided Washington state with an unprecedented opportunity to jumpstart our economy, create or save jobs, and help advance the governor’s strategic visions for tomorrow’s Washington . The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act is a section of the ARRA. It specifically outlines how the federal stimulus money will be used to advance the design,  More...

Coverage will not begin through a health insurance exchange until January 1, 2014.

Entitlement funds are available to Medicare and Medicaid participating providers (hospitals, physicians and other providers) as an incentive to develop and improve their health information technology (HIT) capabilities, primarily in the area of electronic health records (EHRs) (+/-$34 billion). Appropriated funds will be allocated in addition to the Medicare/Medicaid incentives(+/-$2 billion) for HIT grants and loans for programs that promote regional and state initiatives for information exchan  More...

Federal stimulus funding for entitlement programs, which are federally mandated, is distributed to states by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Yes. The exchange and private health insurance market will offer health plans under the same rules for consumer protection and rating of health plan premiums.

Yes. The Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner received federal funds to provide coverage for people with pre-existing conditions in a second high risk pool. Washington state now operates the new high risk plan in conjunction with an existing high risk pool, the Washington State Health Insurance Pool (WSHIP) . The new plan, funded by the federal government, will end January 1, 2014 when full health reform takes effect and people cannot be denied insurance due to a pre-existing m  More...

Yes. The Kaiser Family Foundation published the “ Focus on Health Reform ,” which describes many of the activities to be performed by an exchange.

An exchange will: Certify whether a health plan is qualified to be offered in the exchange, which includes examining and posting premium increases. Employees of small-employer groups can select a health plan within the range designated by their employer. Provide subsidies for premiums and cost-sharing. Help shoppers with a standard format for health plan information. Compare each qualified health plan based on the relative price and quality of their benefits.

Yes. In August, 2010, the HCA submitted a planning grant application to Health and Human Services and received a grant of nearly $1 million (the maximum for any state) for health insurance exchange planning and implementation.

Appropriated funding is distributed by the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC). Funds are assigned to states through a competitive proposal process. The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) is responsible for setting the strategy for these appropriated funds. They will direct the efforts of federal agencies and the private sector by recommending standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria needed for the electronic exchange and use of health information. The ONC   More...