Exchange gets $128 million from feds

The Health Care Authority announced today that it received a $128 million dollar grant to further develop the exchange in Washington State.

The grant from the federal government was a “Level II Exchange Establishment Grant,” which was one purpose of the exchange bill passed during this year’s legislative session.

Washington had previously received grants of $1 million and $23 million to support the development of the exchange.

From the release:

“I am extremely proud of the great strides Washington has made to ensure everyone in our state will have access to quality, affordable health care,” said Gregoire. “Receiving this Level II grant is a testament to our position as a leader in the nation in this field. This grant will allow us to continue progress and create the Health Benefit Exchange that will connect hundreds of thousands of people in our state to needed coverage.”