On April 2, 2020, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed legislation to create the Washington Partnership Access Lines Fund (WAPAL) to support medical professionals in caring for patients’ mental health needs. To fund the WAPAL, the legislation imposes a quarterly reporting and assessment obligation on health insurance carriers and employers that provide health coverage in Washington State.

• Medical carriers are required to complete the reporting and pay the fee on behalf of fully insured groups; no employer action is required with respect to fully insured plans.
• Employers with self-funded medical plans must complete covered life reports and pay the WAPAL assessment ($0.13 per covered life per month) within 45 days of the end of each quarter.
• To complete the quarterly reports, employers must count all Washington residents covered under the employer plan – including active employees, covered dependents, and individuals covered under COBRA – per month in the previous quarter.
• The reporting site requires that employers break out their monthly enrollment numbers by age brackets: 0-18 years, 19-64 years, and 65+.
• Reporting for the previous quarter (January – March, 2022) is due on May 15, 2022.