Given the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Health (DOH) has been the recipient of an unusually large amount of federal funds in 2019–21 and 2021–23. (In the chart below, federal funds are included as part of “all funds.”) Meanwhile, general fund–state (GFS) spending for DOH increased by 23.1% in 2019–21 and 35.7% in 2021–23. The extraordinary federal funding will drop in 2023–25, but the agency has requested a 325.5% increase in its GFS funding.

The request would increase GFS spending by $792.7 million. That includes:

• $334.9 million in 2023–25 and $0 in 2025–27 to continue funding for COVID-19 response (as federal funding will be reduced).
• $100.0 million in 2023–25 and $100.0 million in 2025–27 to continue to expand foundational public health services.
• $56.1 million in 2023–25 and $70.0 million in 2025–27 to maintain the technology investments that were made in response to the pandemic.
• $50.1 million in 2023–25 and $50.1 million in 2025–27 to maintain the Care Connect Washington program. The program is “a community-­based infrastructure to address social determinants of health,” and it was first funded with federal COVID-19 dollars.

(Previous posts on agency budget requests are here.)