SB 5258 Washington Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Implementing state auditor recommendations for reducing improper medicaid concurrent enrollment payments.

SB 5258 requires Washington's Medicaid agency and state auditor to collaborate with managed care organizations to prevent duplicate Medicaid enrollments across states, which causes unnecessary payments. Key provisions mandate that private health plans monthly identify individuals enrolled in multiple state Medicaid programs, recover premiums for those who moved out of state, and report findings annually starting in 2027. The bill also directs agencies to use national address databases to track residents who relocate out of state and requires a state auditor performance audit by 2031 to assess progress. These changes directly affect Washington's Medicaid program and the private health plans contracted with the state, aiming to reduce improper payments through systematic tracking and reporting.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 12, 2026 Last action Jan 12, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Bill Substitute Bill · 3 edits
MINOR
The bill was renumbered from S-0561.1 to S-1272.1 and updated to reflect its status as a substitute bill read on February 10, 2025. The most significant policy change involves the frequency of address verification for Medicaid recipients, shifting from a quarterly check to an annual rolling basis to identify those who have moved out of state. Additionally, the bill explicitly assigns this verification duty to both the authority and the department, clarifying shared responsibility.
Scope change
The bill's scope regarding administrative oversight was broadened by adding the 'department' to the entities responsible for verifying resident status alongside the existing authority.
TIMELINE

The frequency of checking Medicaid client addresses to identify those who moved out of state changed from quarterly to an annual rolling basis.

ENFORCEMENT

Responsibility for analyzing client addresses to detect out-of-state moves was expanded to include both the authority and the department.

TECHNICAL

The bill number was updated from S-0561.1 to S-1272.1, and the reading date was updated to 02/10/25.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
9
Key actions
4
Committee
6
Jan 12, 2026
Introduced
By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.
upper
Feb 24, 2025
Upper · Passed
Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 1:30 PM.
upper
Feb 10, 2025
Committee
Referred to Ways & Means.
upper
Feb 6, 2025
Committee
And refer to Ways & Means.
upper
Feb 6, 2025
Upper · Passed
Minority; without recommendation.
upper
Feb 6, 2025
Upper · Passed
Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Health & Long-Term Care at 8:00 AM.
upper
Jan 24, 2025
Upper · Passed
Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Health & Long-Term Care at 8:00 AM.
upper
1 primary · 6 co-sponsors

Sponsors