Being at the center of the COVID-19 pandemic shows how critical it is for Washington State to have a strong health system. A virus does not discriminate, and we need everyone, regardless of their income, to be able to access health care to keep us all safe.

Passed by Congress 10 years ago this week, the ACA has helped 600,000 uninsured Washingtonians get health coverage and care. While there’s not a lot for health care providers to celebrate right now, we do want to honor this anniversary and stand strong to protect the ACA.

The Affordable Care Act enabled Washington State to significantly expand Medicaid coverage, greatly increasing health care access and resources. This has been particularly important for access to dental care as the number of Medicaid-insured adults accessing dental care each year has more than doubled since the state expanded Medicaid. In total, our state’s expanded health care safety net now provides health care to more than 1.7 million patients.

The ACA has also increased access to health services that are critical in addressing our state’s homelessness and opioid crises. The ACA created more funding for mental health and substance use treatment, and rural hospitals have been able to remain open thanks to the Medicaid expansion. 

COVID-19 has exposed the shortcomings in our health system and the critical importance of affordable coverage and care for all. The best way to stem the impact of Coronavirus is to take care of people who have too long faced barriers to health and health care including people who are at greater risk of getting sick from Coronavirus, such as older people, people with disabilities and chronic health conditions, people who are uninsured and lower income, and people of color. Now is the time for policymakers to expand access to affordable treatment and care.

Unfortunately, the ACA has been under attack for the past several years. Federal threats to weaken it put millions of people at risk of losing access to health care. But the fact is that people depend on coverage provided by the ACA. Global health care emergencies such as the coronavirus show how much our health is connected to everyone around us. Washington State policymakers must protect the advances gained through the ACA to ensure that everyone in our state can access health care, keeping us all safer.