NoHLA’s Impact
Since its beginning 25 years ago, Northwest Health Law Advocates (NoHLA) has touched the lives of millions of Washingtonians. A non-profit health advocacy organization, NoHLA is dedicated to creating a health care system that works for everyone. At the heart of our work is the belief that every individual has the right to quality, affordable health care. To fulfill our mission, NoHLA works to eliminate barriers and unfair practices that keep people from getting needed care.
NoHLA has championed significant improvements to access and affordability that took effect this year:
- 10,000 low-income Medicare enrollees can now receive help paying their premiums, deductibles, copays, and other costs;
- a new law bans abusive billing practices by ground ambulance companies and reduces the risk of medical debt; and
- new programs are enabling health coverage for nearly 12,000 undocumented immigrants for the first time.
NoHLA’s work has contributed to numerous meaningful health care access milestones through the years, including:
- pushing the state to lead on Affordable Care Act implementation, including our successful Medicaid Expansion, Exchange, and public option;
- allowing newborn children of immigrant women to be enrolled in Medicaid, making it possible in all states for a child’s first year;
- enabling more children to access care under the “Cover All Kids” law, now considered a national model;
- challenging cuts in coverage, including the termination of immigrants from the Basic Health Plan, and restoring coverage for thousands;
- fighting for Medicaid to be suspended rather than terminated for people who are incarcerated, so they can access care on release;
- improving language access to help the Exchange better serve our state’s diverse population;
- monitoring the adequacy of health insurance provider networks; and
- advocating for a searchable database for consumer appeals of health insurer denials.
"Within weeks of NoHLA's Medicaid training, I was able to use the information you taught us to identify numerous cases in which families were wrongly denied coverage—and to bring those cases forward to get them resolved.
By giving all of us tools and knowledge to successfully advocate for people, NoHLA has impacted so many lives – making healthcare accessible and helping families avoid financial disaster."
– Cathy Aby Health Educator,
Public Health Seattle & King County
"I want to tell you how much I enjoy your presentations at First Friday Forum. I get happy when I see NoHLA on the agenda, and kinda sad without it!"
– Esther Mathison
Inreach Eligibility Specialist (Patient Navigator)
Country Doctor Community Health Center
- Updates from the 2025 WA Legislative Session March 17, 2025 1:49 pm
The Washington Legislature has reached the half-way mark … Photo by Charles Lenhardt.
- What’s Ahead for Health? November 26, 2024 10:55 am
It’s clear there are tough times ahead for health care. Nationally, the Trump Administration will try to slash Medicaid and Medicare, threaten immigrant and reproductive care, and repeal key Affordable Care Act consumer protections. At a state level, we’re facing a steep $10-12 billion budget deficit over the 4-year budget cycle. State agencies have already prepared a “budget reductions” exercise that suggests there could be deep cuts to essential health care services, if the Legislature doesn’t identify progressive revenue alternatives. But NoHLA is ready to fight. NoHLA launched 25 years ago in response to another difficult period: the roll-back of 1990s health expansions and imposition of racist, xenophobic “welfare reform.” Since then, we’ve worked alongside allies to fend off Great Recession budget cuts, protect care during the first Trump Administration, and expand care during the pandemic. We stood for health justice then, and we’ll stand for health justice now. It won’t be easy. But we will use every legal and policy tool at our disposal to defend health care for Washingtonians. And we’ll partner with all of you to find opportunities for change amidst crisis: if they set us back, we’ll step forward. We see promise in Washington’s newly elected leaders, including proactive health agendas from incoming Governor Ferguson and Insurance Commissioner Kuderer. We will continuing to advance health, together.
- Advancing Health Care for All Washingtonians November 26, 2024 10:52 am
Despite the challenges ahead, NoHLA remains committed to health care for all Washingtonians, including immigrants who are a vital part of Washington’s communities. In a recent Kaiser Family Foundation article, NoHLA’s Senior Policy Advocate Lee Che Leong explained, “People are looking around and realizing that our health is interconnected, both globally and locally,” Leong said. “The pandemic really brought that home, that when you look at the disparities in who got Covid, who was exposed to Covid, and who died from Covid.” Lee Che and partners from across the state worked to make Washington’s recent health coverage expansions a reality for 12,000 immigrants. But as of last week, there are nearly as many eligible Washingtonians waiting for coverage but denied due to limited funding. That’s why NoHLA and 58 other organizations sent a letter to Governor Inslee this month, calling for the Governor to make immigrant health a priority in his final budget. Governor Inslee will release his final budget in December and legislators will consider the budget in the next legislative session starting in January.
NOHLA is a GuideStar Gold Participant. To learn more about the GuideStar Nonprofit Program, click the image below.
NoHLA is a proud member of the Alliance for Equal Justice in Washington State. To learn more, click the image below. 