The Texas v. US lawsuit, in which a Texas federal judge found the ACA unconstitutional last month, has now been appealed. See our December 18th blog post for background. This ruling, if upheld, would devastate the Medicaid expansion, marketplaces such as the WA Health Benefit Exchange, pre-existing condition protections, health care delivery system reforms, public health and...
Category: News
WA coverage improvements take effect January 1
Adult hearing benefit Thanks to the 2018 Legislature, Apple Health (Medicaid) will restore hearing aid coverage for adults with hearing loss of 45 decibels or more in their better ears (children already have coverage). Cochlear implants, replacement and repair will also be covered. Clients age 21 and older who meet specific hearing loss criteria may...
ACA in jeopardy again!
Adapted from a summary by the National Health Law Program Last Friday, Judge Reed O’Connor of the Northern District of Texas ruled that the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act was unconstitutional. He went even further, striking down the entire ACA because, he opined, the mandate was not “severable” from the rest of the...
New legislators ran on health care
In the 2018 elections, Washington voters elected Dr. Kim Schrier, a pediatrician championing quality health care as a fundamental human right, to the U.S. House of Representatives, District 8. At the state level, we sent 5 new Democrats to the State Senate and 12 new Democrats to the State House, increasing Democratic majorities in both...
Public Charge campaign continues after inspiring 200K+ comments
NoHLA is an active participant in Protecting Immigrant Families (PIF), an impressive national campaign comprised of thousands of advocates across the country that helped lead the charge against the administration’s harmful Public Charge proposal. When the public comment period for the proposed rule closed on December 10, over 216,000 comments were delivered to the Department...
WA Health Care Access Alliance honors NoHLA’s Executive Director
NoHLA Executive Director Janet Varon was honored to receive the 2018 Marcia Howery Award from the Washington Healthcare Access Alliance, “in recognition of demonstrated, long term commitment and contribution to healthcare access serving Washington’s vulnerable patients.” WHAA is the association of free clinics throughout the state. Marcia Howery was a pioneering free clinic director, mentor, and advocate who worked...
The Clock is Ticking…Only 39 Days Remaining in Public Charge Comment Period
Under the proposed public charge rules, one of the groups who may be prevented from receiving a green card is individuals with HIV/AIDS. This could potentially worsen the HIV/AIDS epidemic by forcing people living with the condition to forego treatment. The two largest federal funding sources for healthcare for people living with HIV/AIDS are Medicare...