At Northwest Health Law Advocates (NoHLA), our mission is to ensure that every individual in Washington has access to quality, affordable health care. We are dedicated to eliminating barriers and unfair practices that prevent people from receiving the care they need. Through advocacy, education, and legal support, we strive to create a health care system that is equitable and just for all.

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’s work has contributed to numerous meaningful health care access milestones through the years, including:

• Affordable Care Act Implementation: Pushing the state to lead on Affordable Care Act implementation, including our successful Medicaid Expansion, Exchange, and public option.
• Medicaid Enrollment for Newborns: Allowing newborn children of immigrant women to be enrolled in Medicaid, making it possible in all states for a child’s first year.
• Cover All Kids Law: Enabling more children to access care under the “Cover All Kids” law, now considered a national model.
• Restoring Coverage for Immigrants: Challenging cuts in coverage, including the termination of immigrants from the Basic Health Plan, and restoring coverage for thousands.
• Medicaid Suspension for Incarcerated Individuals: Fighting for Medicaid to be suspended rather than terminated for people who are incarcerated, so they can access care on release.
• Improving Language Access: Enhancing language access to help the Exchange better serve our state’s diverse population.
• Monitoring Provider Networks: Monitoring the adequacy of health insurance provider networks.
• Consumer Appeals Database: Advocating for a searchable database for consumer appeals of health insurer denials.

Until everyone has access to equitable, affordable health care, we will continue to fight for health care justice.

Our 2025 priorities include:

• Increase Funding: Expand the state's immigrant health expansion program to cover more individuals.
• Ensure Access to Care: Guarantee that Apple Health clients receive medically necessary care without denial.
• Advocate Training: Train advocates to support access to Apple Health and Medicare services.
• Protect Reproductive Health: Ensure insurance companies cover all methods of contraceptive coverage and protect reproductive health care.
• Enforce Mental Health Parity: Enforce mental health parity requirements and expand access to behavioral health care.
• Improve Charity Care Regulation: Enhance charity care regulation to reduce medical debt from hospital services.
• Reduce Health Care Costs: Advocate for proven policy solutions to lower the high cost of health care.

Northwest Health Law Advocates (NoHLA) is proud to be a GuideStar Gold Participant, demonstrating our commitment to transparency and accountability in our operations. To learn more about the GuideStar Nonprofit Program and how it supports organizations like ours, click here.

Northwest Health Law Advocates (NoHLA) is a proud member of the Alliance for Equal Justice in Washington State. To learn more about our partnership and the work we do together, click here.