Can Crisis Beget Opportunity? Washington State's Response to the Mental Health Funding Quandary

Public sector services for children and adults with serious mental illnesses are at grave risk in Washington State, in part because the state of Washington has relied more heavily on Medicaid dollars to fund these services than almost any other state. State and Federal Medicaid accounts for 89% of the $750 million spent by the State on community mental health services. The Evergreen State will lose approximately $82 million in federal Medicaid revenues over the next two years.