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The Ongoing Effort to Undermine the Affordable Care Act
The latest threat to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a huge reduction in funding for navigators in states using the federal marketplace. These are local people who help individuals and their families enroll in Medicaid and Exchange coverage. We didn’t call it huge for nothing – navigators have been cut 84% since 2016(!).Fortunately, Washington […]
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Washington State Waiver Amendment Facilitates Treatment of Substance Use Disorders
Many states are applying for five-year waivers to receive federal funds for inpatient treatment of adults age 21-64 in Institutions of Mental Disease (IMDs) with more than 16 beds. Washington State received federal approval of an amendment to their existing Medicaid waiver last week. The waiver amendment will allow the state to maintain and expand […]
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Washington State Stands Up for Women’s Health
First Lady Trudi Inslee penned an op-ed in The Seattle Times about how Washington is strengthening our efforts to expand women’s health care. In a new initiative, the Department of Health is partnering with Upstream USA to provide sustainable tracking and technical assistance to approximately 300 public and private health centers over the next four […]
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County-Based Immigrant Coverage Proposal Gaining Steam in King County
In April, NoHLA released a new report with recommendations for a new approach to provide comprehensive health coverage to uninsured immigrants. County-based health coverage programs, modeled off of programs operating in other states, including California and Maryland, could close the coverage gaps that persist for adult immigrants. The proposal is picking up steam in King […]
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Census Changes: Cause for Concern
Advocates are extremely concerned about the potential inaccuracy of the 2020 census, which will have a huge impact on continued federal funding. The Trump Administration ‘s proposal to include a citizenship question would undoubtedly suppress participation in the census from immigrants who are intimidated by the question. Washington State Budget & Policy Center Executive Director […]
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Proposed Gag Rule Undermines Women’s Health
We previously mentioned the Administration’s proposal to significantly alter the Title X family planning program. The policy change is often considered a “gag rule” because it precludes providers from giving patients referrals for abortion services if they receive family planning funds. The proposed rule would seriously undermine the Title X program by interfering with the […]
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The War on Medicaid Still Isn’t Over
There have been a lot of assaults on Medicaid lately, at both the federal and state levels. We’re happy that Washington State has been supportive of Medicaid and its enrollees (see below). But recent threats at the federal level could impact our state in the future, adding up to more war on Medicaid. The recent […]
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Supreme Court Nomination: What it May Mean for Health Care
When Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy recently announced his retirement, people began to fret about what a new conservative Supreme would mean for health care, including access to birth control and legal abortions. The nomination of Brett Kavanaugh has particularly alarmed Affordable Care Act (ACA) supporters, reproductive health advocates, and many others because of his […]
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More Junk Plans Coming Your Way
Final association health plan (AHP) rules spell trouble for consumers. AHPs have been around for a long time, but the new federal rules allow more groups to become AHPs and forego coverage of the essential health benefits while offering premiums varying not based on health, but on factors like geographic location, age, marital status and/or […]
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Who Does Support Ending Pre-Existing Condition Protections?
The June Kaiser Health Tracking Poll found that 76% of voters, including 58% of Republicans, say coverage for pre-existing conditions is “very important” to them. But last month, the Administration decided not to defend the ACA from a legal challenge with the potential to undo pre-existing condition protections. Senator Maria Cantwell recently called on the […]
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