It’s clear there are tough times ahead for health care. 

Nationally, the Trump Administration will try to slash Medicaid and Medicare, threaten immigrant and reproductive care, and repeal key Affordable Care Act consumer protections. 

At a state level, we’re facing a steep $10-12 billion budget deficit over the 4-year budget cycle.  State agencies have already prepared a “budget reductions” exercise that suggests there could be deep cuts to essential health care services, if the Legislature doesn’t identify progressive revenue alternatives. 

But NoHLA is ready to fight. NoHLA launched 25 years ago in response to another difficult period: the roll-back of 1990s health expansions and imposition of racist, xenophobic “welfare reform.” Since then, we’ve worked alongside allies to fend off Great Recession budget cuts, protect care during the first Trump Administration, and expand care during the pandemic.

We stood for health justice then, and we’ll stand for health justice now. It won’t be easy. But we will use every legal and policy tool at our disposal to defend health care for Washingtonians. 

And we’ll partner with all of you to find opportunities for change amidst crisis: if they set us back, we’ll step forward. We see promise in Washington’s newly elected leaders, including proactive health agendas from incoming Governor Ferguson and Insurance Commissioner Kuderer. We will continuing to advance health, together.