Commonwealth Fund report assesses health care access and spending



Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page [ [link removed] ].



Health Care Authority (HCA) logo [ [link removed] ]




*News release*

For immediate release

June 21, 2022

*Report: With new metrics related to COVID-19 response, Washington ranks 4th in nation for health system performance*

OLYMPIA ??Washington continues to perform among the top states in the nation for health care systems, according to a new report from The Commonwealth Fund.

For the first time, The Commonwealth Fund also reviewed how well states responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. Washington ranked fourth in the nation in our overall response to COVID-19, and the report highlights Washington?s efforts around hospital staffing, vaccination rates, and preventing COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents.

Washington is fourth in the nation overall on the 2022 Scorecard on State Health System Performance [ [link removed] ], which asks questions including:


* Do Americans have good access to health care?
* Are Americans getting the right health care, at the right time, and in the right setting?
* How healthy is America?

Some of Washington?s top-ranked indicators and our ranking include:


* Employee total potential out-of-pocket medical costs as a share of state median income (first in nation)
* People with medical debt (fourth in nation)
* Children ages 0-18 who are insured (ninth in nation)
* Infant mortality (fifth in nation)
* Avoidable hospital use and cost (seventh in nation)
* Racial and ethnic equity (ninth in nation)

?The Commonwealth Fund data show Washington?s intentional efforts to build an affordable, accessible, and equitable health care delivery system are paying off,? said Health Care Authority (HCA) Director Sue Birch. ?Many partners work together to help connect Washingtonians not just to coverage but high-quality care when they need it. We must continue innovating to better serve our state?s residents, including those with low incomes, who are living with behavioral health conditions, or are experiencing the impacts of the pandemic.?

In one example of Washington?s innovation, HCA is applying to renew and strengthen our Medicaid Transformation Project [ [link removed] ], a federal demonstration waiver that allows the state to use Medicaid dollars to develop projects that improve Washington?s health care system, such as housing, employment, substance use disorder, and supporting older adults and family caregivers.

?This ranking is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire ecosystem of health partners in Washington. The foundation of health is what continues to allow us to thrive, as well as strive toward a stronger future,? said State Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah.

###

*Media contact*

Amy Blondin <[email protected]>, HCA Chief Communications Officer
360-688-0131 (cell)










?

About the Health Care Authority (HCA)

The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) is committed to whole-person care, integrating physical health and behavioral health services for better results and healthier residents.

HCA purchases health care for more than 2.5 million Washington residents through Apple Health (Medicaid), the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) Program, the School Employees Benefits Board (SEBB) Program, and the COFA Islander Health Care Program. As the largest health care purchaser in the state, we lead the effort to transform health care, helping ensure Washington residents have access to better health and better care at a lower cost.

Please do not reply directly to this message. For more information, visit the HCA website [ [link removed] ], where you'll also find contact information.

Disclosure notice

All messages we send via GovDelivery are subject to public disclosure, as are the names and email addresses of those who sign up for email notifications.

Nondiscrimination

The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) complies with all applicable federal and Washington state civil rights laws and is committed to providing equal access to our services. Visit HCA?s website to view complete nondiscrimination statements [ [link removed] ].



?

Stay connected Facebook [ [link removed] ] ? Twitter [ [link removed] ] ? Govdelivery [ [link removed] ] ? Blog [ [link removed] ] ? LinkedIn [ [link removed] ]? Youtube [ [link removed] ]

*Subscriber services:* Manage subscriptions [ [link removed] ] | Unsubscribe all [ [link removed] ] | Help [ [link removed] ]

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page [ [link removed] ].



?


________________________________________________________________________

This email was sent to [email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Washington State Health Care Authority ? 626 8th Avenue SE ? Olympia, WA 98501 GovDelivery logo [ [link removed] ]