Whole person care expands to Okanogan County on Jan. 1

Okanogan County – Beginning January 1, 2019 Washington Apple Health (Medicaid) clients in Okanogan County will join the other three counties in the state’s North Central region (Chelan, Douglas, and Grant counties) and transition to a whole-person approach to care delivery. Services will be coordinated through a single health plan so that people receive the help they need for body and mind, including mental health and substance use treatment.

The Health Care Authority (HCA) will offer Apple Health coverage for people in Okanogan County through Amerigroup, Coordinated Care, and Molina Healthcare of WA. HCA will automatically move clients enrolled in Community Health Plan of WA or United HealthCare to one of the three remaining plans, who will coordinate physical and behavioral health services with no interruption in coverage.

The North Central Region’s transition to whole person care comes on the heels of the Healthier Washington’s Medicaid Transformation efforts, a five-year transformation project aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of communities across the state. In the North Central region (Chelan, Douglas, and Grant counties, to include Okanogan in 2019), these efforts are managed by the North Central Accountable Community of Health (NCACH.)

 In 2014, state legislation directed HCA to integrate the purchasing of medical and behavioral health services for Apple Health by January 1, 2020. HCA began the integration project in Clark and Skamania counties in 2016, followed by Chelan, Douglas, and Grant counties in 2017. In 2019, Okanogan will join 21 other counties in adopting the integrated model.

Apple Health clients in Okanogan County are encouraged to learn more by contacting their current health plan or HCA, or by visiting https://www.hca.wa.gov/health-care-services-supports/apple-health-medicaid-coverage/apple-health-managed-care.

For questions or concerns about integrated managed care legislation and implementation in Okanogan County, please contact Senator Linda Evans Parlette, linda.parlette@cdhd.wa.gov.