Washington state Gov. Bob Ferguson signed an executive order in Seattle last week to try to help respond to changes being made to Medicaid.
On Oct. 1, some lawfully present immigrants will no longer be eligible for Apple Health insurance plans, which is Washington State’s Medicaid program. This includes refugees, asylees and other groups. Approximately 11,000 adult immigrants are expected to lose their health coverage as a result, according to the governor's office.
“The federal government's changes are all designed for one purpose: It is thinly veiled to kick people off Medicaid, to make the system as difficult as possible to navigate,” Ferguson said.
Beginning in the new year, the federal government will require adults who qualify for Medicaid to enroll every six months and to meet new work requirements. There are exceptions, but the state estimates around 200,000 people will lose their insurance because of these changes by the end of 2027.
These restrictions are the result of congressional Republicans passing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in 2025, which included sweeping healthcare reforms. According to a 2025 statement from the White House, the changes “protects and strengthens Medicaid for those who rely on it” while "eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse."
Ferguson disagrees. “In the richest country in the world, Donald Trump is kicking the most vulnerable people off their health coverage,” Ferguson said. “I asked my team to find ways to blunt the impact of H.R. 1 on Washingtonians, and they delivered. Their work has preserved health care coverage for hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians.”
Ferguson pointed to state officials and health advocates working to reach people who may be at risk of losing their health insurance. That included finding out if those people can still qualify for Medicaid or enroll on an alternative insurance plan. The state has also been working to streamline how Washingtonians apply for Medicaid, which is expected to help hundreds of thousands of people meet requirements in the new year.
The governor’s new executive order instituted a wide array of initiatives that included establishing a committee to monitor how the changes to Medicaid affect the state and assess how officials can respond. The order directed the state Department of Health to track who is losing insurance coverage.
The order is launching a statewide public information campaign to inform residents of the changes in Medicaid coverage.
“This will be an actual statewide campaign focused on getting the word out to all impacted Washingtonians,” Ferguson said. “We're working as hard as we can to reach those folks who are being impacted.”
Ferguson urged Washingtonians enrolled in Apple Health to check their information is up to date and to pay attention to any information they receive in the mail.
