Resources
Washington state’s Medicaid reimbursement rates are some of the worst in the nation, falling far short of the cost of providing care. For patients, the result is difficulty getting appointments, delays in care, and worsening health conditions. For doctors, the result is frustration and burnout, as most practices simply cannot afford to see the number of Medicaid patients in their communities who need care.
Building off of WSMA’s success in recent legislative sessions in increasing Medicaid reimbursement for some primary care, pediatric, and behavioral health services, during the 2025 legislative session the WSMA is asking the Washington Legislature to pass the Medicaid Access Program in House Bill 1392, which is designed to increase Medicaid rates across the board for all physicians in all settings to at least the equivalents paid by Medicare.
To be successful, we’ll need the full support of the physician and practice community. Use resources on this page to help support HB 1392 and the Medicaid Access Program in your community.
Fact sheets and one-pagers
- Medicaid Access Program: Fact Sheet
- Access to Care for Medicaid Patients: Fact Sheet
- Medicaid Access Program: Partner Action Plan
- Allied Patient and Provider Groups That Support the Medicaid Access Program
Social media toolkit
- Medicaid Access Program social media toolkit for 2025 legislative session
- Social media graphic #1
- Social media graphic #2
- Banner graphic
Letters to Washington lawmakers
- WSMA letter to Washington’s legislators with undersigned physician organizations – delivered Jan. 17, 2025
- WSMA letter to Washington’s House of Representatives with undersigned physician organizations – delivered Jan. 24, 2024
Media coverage
- Kids’ health not partisan issue – Letter to the editor, The Columbian, March 17, 2025
- Doctor shortage across WA causing appointment delays – KIRO7 News, March 14, 2025
- Access to healthcare depends on funding for Medicaid patients – Letter to the editor, Wenatchee World, March 7, 2025
- Medicaid cuts: ‘The wrong direction’ – Letter to the editor, The Seattle Times, March 7, 2025
- Doctors are caught in the middle and they need your help – Letter to the editor, Yakima Herald Republic, Feb. 27, 2025
- ARC Seattle features Pediatrician Beth Ebel, MD, on the Medicaid Access Program – Interview with KOMO-TV’s Preston Phillips for ARC Seattle’s evening program, Feb. 18, 2025
- Astria Sunnyside and Toppenish hospitals see some financial rebound in 2024 – Yakima Herald, Feb. 17, 2025
- Who will deliver for WA’s mothers and children? – Seattle Times op-ed, Jan. 17, 2025
- Why primary care physicians are becoming harder to find in Washington – The Seattle Times, Aug. 7, 2024
- Doctors struggle to afford Medicaid patients. How can WA solve the problem? – The Washington Observer, July 1, 2024
- More on the Medicaid [Reimbursement] Problem | The Washington Observer – The Washington Observer, July 22, 2024
- Can’t get into your doctor’s office? You’re not alone – The Seattle Times op-ed, May 20, 2024
Supporting data
- Washington’s Physician Practices at Risk – Results from a recent Washington State Medical Association survey of Washington’s independent physician practices
- Health Affairs, Physician Acceptance of New Medicaid Patients: What Matters and What Doesn’t, April 2019
- Washington State Health Care Authority’s Apple Health client eligibility dashboard.
- “Medicaid Patients Have Greater Difficulty Scheduling Health Care Appointments Compared With Private Insurance Patients: A Meta-Analysis.” INQUIRY: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing. 2019.
- Washington State Medical Association survey of Medicaid patients, fall 2023.
- KFF’s Medicaid and Racial Health Equity, June 2023.
- KFF’s Medicaid-to-Medicare Fee Index.
- KFF’s Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) for Medicaid and Multiplier.