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Advocates push WA lawmakers to help undocumented immigrants cover health insurance premiums

FILE - The sun dial stands in front of the Legislative Building, March 10, 2022, at the state Capitol in Olympia, Wash. The Washington Supreme Court on Friday, March 24, 2023, upheld the state's new capital gains tax, which was adopted by lawmakers in an effort to balance what is considered the nation's most regressive tax code.
Ted S. Warren
/
AP
The sun dial stands in front of the Legislative Building, March 10, 2022, at the state Capitol in Olympia, Wash.

The Washington state legislature is in the midst of finalizing the state budget. One item the House and Senate don’t currently have agreement on is funding for a Medicaid-like plan for undocumented immigrants.

Starting next year, all state residents – regardless of immigration status – will be allowed to purchase medical insurance through Washington Health Plan Finder, the state’s health insurance marketplace. Now, advocates are pushing for lawmakers to include the money in the state budget to help undocumented immigrants cover the premiums.

There are approximately 100,000 undocumented immigrants in Washington state without health insurance. Lee Che Leong, a policy analyst with Northwest Health Law Advocates, said undocumented immigrants are facing $300-a-month premiums because they’re not eligible for federal subsidies.

Leong and other advocates are asking that legislators fund a Medicaid-type program for undocumented immigrants with low incomes, or those who make under 138% of the federal poverty level.

"This is really about fairness. Immigrants make up a fifth of Washington's workforce, but they don't have equal access to health care and health coverage. And that puts our communities, our economy and our families at stake,” Leong told KNKX in a recent interview.

Leong added that undocumented Washingtonians paid an estimated $371 million in state and local taxes in 2019.

“The reality is that research shows that without affordable health coverage, low-income people face higher mortality and morbidity. They are forced to choose between essential care and basic necessities,” Leong said.

The legislature is expected to finalize its budget in the next two weeks.

Lilly Ana Fowler covers social justice issues investigating inequality with an emphasis on labor and immigration. Story tips can be sent to lfowler@knkx.org.