Nearly three years after the pandemic, many Washingtonians still don’t have access to affordable health coverage and care. Despite seismic shifts in our health care system, too many cannot access care due to historical and ongoing inequities. We’re gearing up to address these issues on every level in 2023.
As we look ahead to the start of Washington’s 2023 legislative session, NoHLA will call on the Legislature to advance health equity. Here’s a sneak peek of what’s ahead:
Expanding health coverage to immigrants. As a key supporter of the Health Equity for Immigrants Campaign (HEIC), we aim to ensure that all Washington residents have access to health coverage and care, regardless of immigration status. In preparation for legislative session, we have worked with state agencies to develop Medicaid and Exchange programs to cover undocumented immigrants who currently lack health options. The effort was recently featured as a policy priority for the Governor in his biennial budget proposal. The state also received a ground-breaking federal waiver that will allow our state to proceed with the planned programs. This session, the Campaign will seek full funding for the programs to launch by 2024 as well as codification of the programs in law.
Addressing the Medicare affordability cliff. Today, many older adults and people with disabilities in Washington State lose affordable, comprehensive health coverage when they qualify for Medicare. Most lower-income adults can get subsidized health coverage if they are under age 65. But after people start Medicare when they turn 65 or experience a permanent disability, they lose the coverage they had before and counterintuitively have to pay more for health care, experiencing the “Medicare Affordability Cliff.” There are some programs available to help, such as “Medicare Savings Programs” — but the programs are very limited. We made important progress last session, successfully removing an onerous “asset test” from Medicare Savings Programs. This session, we will call upon the Legislature to build on this progress by expanding income eligibility for a Medicare Savings Program, which would eliminate premiums and cost-sharing for people with income under 138% of the federal poverty level. We are eagerly awaiting a state study that will describe this approach and other opportunities the state could take, with the help of federal funds.
Tackling escalating health prices. The cost of health care is increasingly unsustainable. Despite all the progress we have made in Washington, people must still choose between going to the doctor and paying for basic needs like food and rent, small business owners are struggling to pay escalating health costs, and critical programs are competing for scarce state resources. Until we take on health care spending, the cost to Washington residents will continue to spiral. No single answer can solve this complex issue. But new data is helping us understand the drivers of health care spending in Washington, including the prices certain large hospital systems, providers, and pharmaceutical suppliers are charging. Recently-surveyed Washingtonians of all political affiliations say they are ready for the government to take action and reduce health care prices. And – new this session, NoHLA will be working with partners on targeting key aspects of this complex problem by advancing sound, data-driven policy options.
Stay tuned for our updates!