NoHLA and other health advocates are very concerned by recent news from the Health Care Authority (HCA) that nearly 116,000 people lost their Medicaid (Apple Health) coverage in just the first month after the ending of the Public Health Emergency (PHE), as a result of state case reviews of all enrollees. While the federal government required states to conduct these reviews starting in the spring of this year, so far Washington has the third highest rate of disenrollment in the nation, behind only Arizona and Florida of reporting states, according to a KFF tracker. 

Many of those losing coverage are likely still eligible for Apple Health. According to HCA’s data, only 25% of the people disenrolled in Washington have actually been determined ineligible; the remaining 75% were terminated for procedural reasons, such as not responding to a verification request or returning a renewal form. While we know from early data that some people have been reinstated into Apple Health or purchased other coverage, many thousands are still left without coverage. In addition, thousands of children from 0-5 will need to be reinstated because the state earlier received federal permission to maintain their Apple Health regardless of income changes. We are calling on HCA to prioritize this population and take immediate action to ensure their coverage is reinstated. 

If you want to hear more about what’s happening with the PHE Unwind in Washington state, you can watch the Senate work session today, July 19th, starting at 1 pm.

And if you or someone you know is having trouble with enrollment, NoHLA wants to know! Please send us an email at nohla@nohla.org.