In 1996, Congress constructed an arbitrary five-year barrier preventing immigrants from accessing crucial public benefits that they support with tax dollars. Nearly thirty years later, this cruel policy still keeps many lawfully present Washington immigrants from accessing Medicaid. This month, Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) introduced legislation to restore access to essential health programs Medicaid and...

At NoHLA, we have worked for over two decades to ensure access to all health care, including reproductive care. While Washington has some of the strongest laws protecting reproductive access in the country, we are alarmed at the restrictions facing residents of Texas seeking abortions in the wake of the US Supreme Court’s recent decision...

It’s been an action-packed summer for public health insurance programs!  Here at NoHLA, we’ve been celebrating the birthdays of the triple pillars of American health coverage: Medicaid and Medicare, which turned 56 on July 30th, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which turns 24 today! These critical programs provide health insurance coverage to more...

We are heartened to see the federal government recently reaffirmed the long-standing guidance that accessing most public benefits should not have any bearing on immigration status.  However, some people continue to fear being considered a “public charge” by the Department of Homeland Security.  To help alleviate concerns, NoHLA has partnered with the Protecting Immigrant Families...

We are thrilled to have two great student interns who have just completed their first year of law school and are spending this summer working on a range of health access legal projects at NoHLA – Niloofar Irani and Rachel Khadivi. Niloofar Irani is a second-year law student at Seattle University. Niloofar attended UCLA and...

Health care since the pandemic:New opportunities for achieving equity A full day virtual Seminar and Continuing Legal Education event Sponsored by Northwest Health Law Advocates Friday, October 22, 2021 As the pandemic continues to further exacerbate inequities throughout society, policymakers are seeking to address health care needs with the goal of achieving equity. A meaningful...

Last month, NoHLA shared legislative updates from the end of the 2021 state legislative session. We celebrated big wins for health equity this session as the Legislature responded to the challenge of existing health disparities exacerbated by the pandemic. We were heartened to see investment in immigrant care, postpartum coverage, and more affordable premiums, among...

Securing affordable healthcare coverage for all people will strengthen our recovery moving forward. As Congress considers the next reconciliation package, we encourage you to pay attention to health care provisions that the President incorporated in his proposed budget: $163 billion to make permanent the temporary expansion of health insurance premium subsidies in the American Rescue...

Did you know that when low-income seniors and people with disabilities in Washington become eligible for Medicare, many lose access to affordable, comprehensive healthcare? Before adults qualify for Medicare, they may qualify for Affordable Care Act programs, including the Medicaid Expansion and subsidized Health Benefit Exchange health insurance plans. The ACA Medicaid program allows income...

We are thrilled to welcome Stephanie Dib Wietstruck and Lee Che Leong to NoHLA! Stephanie Dib Wietstruck joined NoHLA in June 2021 as NoHLA’s Health Equity Advocate. She is pursuing a Health Law Master’s degree at the University of Washington. Since she emigrated to the United States, she has developed a multicultural approach in addressing...