(1) It is the intent of the legislature to encourage maximization of financial resources eligible and available for medicaid services by establishing the skilled nursing facility safety net trust fund to receive skilled nursing facility safety net assessments to use in securing federal matching funds under federally prescribed programs available through the state medicaid plan.

(2) The purpose of this chapter is to provide for a safety net assessment on certain Washington skilled nursing facilities, which will be used solely to support payments to skilled nursing facilities for medicaid services.

(3) The legislature finds that:

(a) Washington skilled nursing facilities have proposed a skilled nursing facility safety net assessment to generate additional state and federal funding for the medicaid program, which will be used in part to restore recent reductions in skilled nursing facility reimbursement rates and provide for an increase in medicaid reimbursement rates; and

(b) The skilled nursing facility safety net assessment and skilled nursing facility safety net trust fund created in this chapter allows the state to generate additional federal financial participation for the medicaid program and provides for increased reimbursement to skilled nursing facilities.

(4) In adopting this chapter, it is the intent of the legislature:

(a) To impose a skilled nursing facility safety net assessment to be used solely for the purposes specified in this chapter;

(b) That funds generated by the assessment, including matching federal financial participation, shall not be used for purposes other than as specified in this chapter;

(c) That the total amount assessed not exceed the amount needed, in combination with all other available funds, to support the reimbursement rates and other payments authorized by this chapter, including payments under RCW 74.48.030; and

(d) To condition the assessment and use of the resulting funds on receiving federal approval for receipt of additional federal financial participation.