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State rolls out Medicaid 1115 reentry initiative; HCA and DOC outline pre‑release services
Summary
Health Care Authority and Department of Corrections officials told the Reentry Council that, beginning July 1, Medicaid (Apple Health) is reimbursing targeted pre‑release services under a federal 1115 waiver; agencies described cohorts of jails and prisons now billing for case management, SUD treatment and pharmacy at release.
Tyrone Nixon, Transformation Implementation Manager at the Health Care Authority and council member, and Lou McDermott, director of DOC’s 1115 waiver program, described the statewide rollout of the Medicaid 1115 reentry initiative and early implementation milestones.
"Beginning 07/01/2025, Washington State's Medicaid program, also known as Apple Health, will pick for a targeted set of pre release services for Medicaid eligible adults and youth in Washington State prisons," Tyrone Nixon said, explaining the waiver’s purpose to facilitate pre‑release care coordination and medication continuity. Nixon listed mandatory reentry benefits that providers can bill through Apple Health and summarized a cohort launch plan that now covers dozens of county jails, juvenile facilities and state prisons.
Brooke Emix, Health Services Reentry Administrator for the Department of Corrections, described DOC’s operational changes and staffing increases tied to the waiver. "We have approximately 1,800 individuals sort of in the pipeline to be released at any given moment," she said, and noted DOC aims to expand its health‑services reentry coverage to reach more people by July 2027. Emix said the department has increased its reentry staff and is building telehealth, Wi‑Fi and warm‑handoff connections with managed‑care plans.
Officials described technical work behind the scenes — provider enrollment, credentialing, pharmacy contracting and a third‑party administrator to process claims — and the learning and capacity‑building steps used to prepare facilities. Tyrone Nixon credited broad partnership (county jails, DOC, DCYF, managed‑care organizations, accountable communities of health, tribal partners and lived‑experience advisors) for the rapid launch.
The agencies invited community providers to register interest in pre‑release engagement and shared a public directory for verified community resources. Next steps for the council include follow‑up on facility readiness, ongoing monitoring of the cohort rollouts, and compiling feedback from lived‑experience participants and county partners.
