What’s Next in Congress?
As Congress is in recess from now until April 21st, this is a good time to catch up on what’s happening and make your voice heard. Here’s a summary of what’s been happening and what we can expect to happen next from Community Catalyst: What’s Happened So Far? In early January, Congress passed a budget resolution...
What’s Happening in the Washington Legislature?
NoHLA’s Third Legislative Update In Olympia, legislators are considering many bills related to health care access. See NoHLA’s Legislative Update #3– a chart of these bills and their statuses (as of 3/29/2017) with links to detailed information. Comparing the House and Senate Budgets The Senate and House have passed their budgets and must now reach...
American Health Care Act (AHCA) Bill Is Pulled from the House
Obamacare is the Law of the Land…For Now On Friday, March 24, the American Health Care Act (AHCA) was removed from the House floor resulting in a failure to vote. Although Republicans have voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) more than 60 times, this was the first time they presented a detailed proposal...
What would AHCA mean for Washington?
What would AHCA mean for Washington? Washington has fully implemented and reaped the benefits of the ACA, decreasing the uninsured rate by 60%. Now, less than 6% of our residents are uninsured. If we switch to the AHCA, the uninsured rate will be higher than it was before the ACA. Governor Jay Inslee and Insurance...
ACA and Medicaid Update 3/21/17
American Health Care Act (AHCA) Bill Moves Through the House Breaking News: Top Republican lawmakers have announced a slew of amendments to the Republican healthcare plan ahead of the House vote Thursday. Many of the amendments were pushed by conservatives within the Republican Party. One amendment seeks to halt immediately the Medicaid expansion program. Another...
ACA and Medicaid Update 3/3/17
No plan yet…: In his first congressional address, President Trump delivered a vague, five-point summary of health care positions related to repealing and replacing the ACA. When he mentioned giving governors the “flexibility they need with Medicaid” he was alluding to efforts long pursued by Republicans to restructure Medicaid’s financing structure (read “cut”) using per capita caps and/or...
Proposed Medicaid Cuts: How They Threaten Health Care Coverage of Pregnant Women
Medicaid currently provides coverage to nearly 13 million women of reproductive age. That coverage helps to ensure positive maternal and child health outcomes. The National Health Law Program (NHeLP) has put together a factsheet explaining how Medicaid coverage affects pregnant women currently, and how proposed cuts to Medicaid will threaten that coverage. Senior Attorney Amy...
Reporting a Pregnancy in Washington Healthplanfinder
Women who report a pregnancy while receiving coverage through a Qualified Health Plan (QHP) will be screened for eligibility for Washington Apple Health for Pregnant Women (Medicaid). If eligible, they will be automatically enrolled in that program. This automated system was set up in the Washington Healthplanfinder before the federal government clarified that women in...
NoHLA Testifies in Support of Bill to Inform Patients about Charity Care
NoHLA is supporting a bill in the Washington Legislature, House Bill 1359, that would require hospitals to inform patients that they may qualify for charity care – free or discounted care for low-income individuals that hospitals must provide under state law. This bill aims to ensure that patients are aware of this program by requiring...
NoHLA Stands with Planned Parenthood
Janet Varon, Executive Director of NoHLA, presented at a media conference last week along with King County Executive Dow Constantine, local Planned Parenthood CEO Chris Charbonneau and King County Council Member Jeanne Kohl-Welles. The event celebrated the county’s stunning 55% reduction in teen pregnancies in King County from 2008 to 2015, thanks in large part to the...