Washington carceral facilities invited to participate in Reentry Initiative
For immediate release.

OLYMPIA - The Health Care Authority (HCA) is extending an invitation to Washington State's carceral (incarceration) facilities to join the Reentry Demonstration Initiative, a new voluntary initiative under the Medicaid Transformation Project (MTP). 

This initiative provides essential pre-release services for individuals leaving incarceration, including care management, substance use disorder treatment and recovery support, and targeting infectious diseases. These services are now reimbursable through Medicaid, providing a significant opportunity for facilities to enhance the care provided to incarcerated individuals prior to their release.

“This national-leading effort will include essential services like treatment for people with opioid use disorder and hepatitis C,” said Jason McGill, assistant director of Medicaid programs at HCA. “We are enthusiastic about the opportunity to enhance health outcomes for individuals reentering their community from a carceral setting. We greatly appreciate the partnership with city and county leaders and facilities across our state.” 

Facilities eligible to participate include state prisons, city and county jails, Tribal jails, and youth correctional facilities. The first cohort—the first group of carceral facilities implementing the Reentry Initiative—will launch on July 1, 2025.

More information is available at the HCA reentry page.

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About Washington State Health Care Authority

Functioning as both the state's largest health care purchaser and its behavioral health authority, the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) is a leader in ensuring Washington residents have the opportunity to be as healthy as possible.
 
There are three pillars of our work: Apple Health (Medicaid); the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) and School Employees Benefits Board (SEBB) programs; and behavioral health and recovery. Under these pillars, HCA purchases health care, including behavioral health treatment for more than 2.7 million Washington residents and provides behavioral health prevention, crisis, and recovery supports to all Washington residents.