This past fall, El Centro de La Raza, the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN), and NoHLA launched the Health Equity for Immigrants Campaign, with support from the ACLU of WA. NoHLA is a proud partner in this campaign, which aims to address health inequities experienced by the immigrant community: 

• An estimated 46% of undocumented individuals are uninsured in Washington, compared to just 7% uninsured in the overall population.  
• Compared to the insured population, those who are uninsured are less likely to have a regular doctor or get timely and routine care, and are more likely to be hospitalized for preventable conditions.
• As of December 16, 2020, Department of Health data indicate Latinx people make up 34% of COVID-19 cases in Washington, yet represent only 13% of the state’s population.  Nationally, COVID-19 infection rates in Latinx patients are three times higher than the rate in White counterparts, and twice as high among Black patients.  Death rates for Latinx and Black patients are over twice as high as the rate for white patients. 

To equitably address this pandemic and keep every community safe, the Health Equity for Immigrants Campaign is working to center the voices of historically marginalized communities and ensure all Washington residents are provided access to quality and affordable health care options, regardless of immigration status. To do this we held community listening sessions and WAISN and El Centro de la Raza conducted surveys of the community. 

In January, we expect to announce the full results of WAISN’s statewide health care access survey. Early analysis of over 5,700 responses by Washington residents who are not eligible for publicly funded health coverage due to immigration status restrictions shows the stark inequities this population faces. Among the findings: 

• 87% of respondents lack health insurance and the majority cite immigration status restrictions or cost as key barriers to obtaining coverage
• 66% of respondents identify lack of health insurance as a barrier to accessing needed health care services and another 59% identify high cost of care as a barrier
• Respondents report inability to access health care services including primary/preventive care, vision and dental, among others. 

The survey was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. 90% of respondents reported losing their jobs or having reduced work hours since February 2020 and 85% of respondents report living paycheck to paycheck. 

The Campaign is using this data to develop legislation to address these health inequities. 

–Huma Zarif, NoHLA Staff Attorney