This bill reenacts and amends RCW 74.09.520, the statute listing types of care and services that "medical assistance" may include. It restates the enumerated services (items (a)–(o)) such as inpatient and outpatient hospital services, physician services, home health, personal care services, hospice, prescribed drugs, therapies, prosthetics, and like services for schoolchildren. The text bars cutting off prescription medications, oxygen, respiratory services, or other life‑sustaining medical services or supplies for purposes of the section, and clarifies that routine foot care and dental services not mandated by Title XIX are excluded from medical assistance unless specifically appropriated. The bill makes programmatic and procedural changes: it requires the authority or department to adopt or amend administrative rules so Title XIX personal care services comply with federal regulations, to design and implement a functional‑disability assessment and level‑based benefits with prioritization for greatest need if reductions are required, and to contract for case management and reassessment/reauthorization of certain clients with area agencies on aging or federally recognized Indian tribes (with competitive bidding or direct provision if those contractors will not serve). It also authorizes the authority to offer hospice services, and, subject to appropriations, to provide Medicare Part D copayment coverage to full‑benefit dual eligibles. The bill creates or mandates several coverage or payment changes with specified effective dates: universal screening and provider payment for autism/developmental delays effective Jan 1, 2016 (per Bright Futures AAP guidance of Aug 27, 2015); provider payment for annual depression screening for youth ages 12–18 and maternal depression screening for mothers of infants effective Jan 1, 2018; use of the DC:0‑5 diagnostic classification for mental health assessment/diagnosis of children birth through five and limited reimbursement for assessments (subject to appropriations); required coverage for USPSTF A or B noninvasive preventive colorectal cancer tests and resulting colonoscopies effective Jan 1, 2024; payment rules for hospitals when enrollees do not meet acute inpatient criteria but cannot be discharged due to unavailable placement; and, beginning Jan 1, 2027, coverage for massage therapy by licensed massage therapists as a medically necessary nonpharmacological pain management option with a referral. Affected parties include the Health Care Authority/department, area agencies on aging, federally recognized tribes, Medicaid managed care organizations, hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living and adult family homes, the Developmental Disabilities Administration, licensed massage therapists, and various providers. The text cites multiple RCWs and standards (including RCW 74.09.520 reenacted/amended, RCW 74.39A.090(3), RCW 74.39A.009, RCW 71A.10.020, chapters on nursing homes/assisted living/adult family homes, Title XIX, Bright Futures AAP guidance, DC:0‑5, and USPSTF grades). Important context is missing from the extracted text: the terms "authority" and "department" are not defined here; the referenced contracting provisions and definitions in RCW 74.39A.090(3) and RCW 74.39A.009 are not reproduced; specific appropriation amounts or funding mechanisms are not provided; and the extract does not clearly indicate which specific provisions are new additions versus restated or unchanged language.

If enacted, the law would expand and clarify what Medicaid must cover and how those services are delivered, creating new or reinforced obligations that affect many patients and providers. Medicaid enrollees would likely see guaranteed continuation of life‑sustaining medications and supplies, required coverage for preventive colorectal screening and related colonoscopies, expanded screening and payment for autism and youth/maternal depression, reimbursement for early childhood mental health assessments using the DC:0‑5 system, and, beginning January 1, 2027, coverage for medically necessary massage therapy with a referral. Hospitals would also be paid for days when a patient no longer meets acute criteria but cannot be discharged because a placement is unavailable, which could reduce financial risk for hospitals but increase Medicaid expenditures. The Health Care Authority and the Department would face new administrative duties and costs: adopting rules to align personal care services with federal standards, designing a functional disability assessment and prioritization process, and contracting with area agencies on aging or federally recognized tribes for case management or competitively procuring services when necessary. Area agencies, tribes, providers who perform screenings, hospitals, nursing homes, and licensed massage therapists would see changes in responsibilities and potential new revenue streams, but most of the expansions are explicitly subject to available appropriations, so the scope of coverage and the actual funding levels remain uncertain. The bill text does not define which exact entities are referenced by “authority” and “department,” nor does it specify appropriation amounts or which provisions are newly added versus reenacted.