NoHLA’s Impact

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 has championed significant improvements to access and affordability that took effect this year:

• 10,000 low-income Medicare enrollees can now receive help paying their premiums, deductibles, copays, and other costs; 
• a new law bans abusive billing practices by ground ambulance companies and reduces the risk of medical debt; and 
• new programs are enabling health coverage for nearly 12,000 undocumented immigrants for the first time.

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

• pushing the state to lead on Affordable Care Act implementation, including our successful Medicaid Expansion, Exchange, and public option;
• allowing newborn children of immigrant women to be enrolled in Medicaid, making it possible in all states for a child’s first year;
• enabling more children to access care under the “Cover All Kids” law, now considered a national model; 
• challenging cuts in coverage, including the termination of immigrants from the Basic Health Plan, and restoring coverage for thousands; 
• fighting for Medicaid to be suspended rather than terminated for people who are incarcerated, so they can access care on release; 
• improving language access to help the Exchange better serve our state’s diverse population;
• monitoring the adequacy of health insurance provider networks; and 
• advocating for a searchable database for consumer appeals of health insurer denials.

NoHLA's Work Ahead

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

• increasing funding so more people can be covered by the state’s immigrant health expansion program;
• ensuring Apple Health clients are not denied medically necessary care;
• training advocates to support access to Apple Health and Medicare services;
• protecting reproductive health care and holding insurance companies accountable for covering all methods of contraceptive coverage;
• enforcing mental health parity requirements and expanding access to behavioral health care; 
• improving charity care regulation and reducing the number of people who have medical debt as a result of getting hospital services; and
• advocating for proven policy solutions to reduce the high cost of health care. 

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