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Postpartum bill vetoed due to economic impacts of pandemic
One of NoHLA’s top legislative priorities this session was Senate Bill 6128, which would have extended Apple Health coverage to 12 months postpartum. In Washington, low-income pregnant women can get comprehensive, no-cost health coverage through the Apple Health/Medicaid program, but coverage ends just two months after the end of pregnancy. Health needs continue through the […]
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COVID-19: Impact on Immigrant Health
COVID-19 is changing life as we know it. Immigrants are particularly vulnerable because they are more likely to be uninsured and lower-income thus unable to afford costs when health care needs arise. Trump-era policies such as increased immigration enforcement – including at health care facilities despite the sensitive locations policy still in place – and public […]
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On its tenth anniversary, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is helping our state provide health care during a pandemic.
Being at the center of the COVID-19 pandemic shows how critical it is for Washington State to have a strong health system. A virus does not discriminate, and we need everyone, regardless of their income, to be able to access health care to keep us all safe. Passed by Congress 10 years ago this week, […]
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Federal developments
TAKE ACTION: Comment here by Monday, March 2 at 2 pm PT/5 pm ET to oppose the proposal to nix automatic coverage renewals for low-income enrollees. Changes to Public Charge Effective Now Despite the many legal efforts to stop the “public charge” rule from taking effect, both the final Department of Homeland Security and the […]
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Improving affordability of prescription drugs
The Legislature is considering a number of bills to address affordability of prescription drugs. These bills have passed the Senate or the House: SB 6087 (Keiser) would cap the out-of-pocket cost to patients for a 30-day supply of insulin at $100 per month. SB 6088 (Keiser) would establish a prescription drug affordability board that would […]
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Improving access to essential health care: Postpartum coverage
TAKE ACTION! Senate Bill 6128, Extending coverage during the postpartum period, was referred to House Appropriations. We need to ensure it gets a hearing! Contact all members of the House Appropriations Committee, to request that they hear the bill and fund it in the budget. How to take action: Click here. Fill out your information. […]
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The Latest: Supreme Court not ready to hear ACA challenge
This week, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the request of 21 states, including Washington, for an expedited hearing in Texas v. U.S. (now referred to as California v. Texas) after the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the individual mandate unconstitutional on December 18, 2019. If the Court grants certiorari — and it could still […]
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The state legislative session begins
Last week, the Washington Legislature began its 2020 session with a new Speaker of the House: Representative Laurie Jinkins, the first woman and first openly gay Speaker! This is the second year of our biennial legislature, so we have a shorter session lasting only 60 days, ending March 12. Bills need to move quickly to […]
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New health benefits and billing protections now available to Washington residents
On January 1, 2020, expansions in health care coverage and protections from “surprise” medical bills took effect – the fruits of the 2019 Washington legislature: Surprise billing protections: Many patients will now be protected from being billed for out-of-network care during an emergency hospitalization or when receiving care at a facility within their insurance plan’s network. The […]
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Coming in 2021: Standard Health Plans
NoHLA and other stakeholders participated in a work group to recommend the design of standard individual health insurance plans. The goal of the standard plans is to make plan comparisons more understandable and to offer more value for consumers. In the interest of consumers, we recommended that certain services such as primary care and generic […]
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