Low-Income Immigrants in Washington State Lose Health Coverage During Transition Between Public Plans

More than 15,000 low-income immigrants in Washington state have lost health coverage as a result of a recent "cost-saving" plan adopted by the state Legislature, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. State lawmakers in March voted to shift approximately 29,000 low-income immigrant families from the state's free health insurance program to its Basic Health Plan, which offers coverage to low-income residents at rates that are "well below market." But the families were not automatically transferred to the Basic Health Plan, and only 39% of families had successfully switched plans as of Oct. 1, when the fully subsidized coverage was cut off. An additional 16% of families are in the process of reapplying for coverage, but health advocates say that the "laborious, multistep" application process has hindered many people from re-enrolling. Jon Gould, deputy director of the Children's Alliance, said that much of the enrollment information is only available in English, and immigrants may not be able to understand the application. Steve Wish, director of the customer support division of the state's Medical Assistance Administration, said that reapplication letters in 17 languages were sent out to families and that the state has worked with community-based and migrant health clinics to conduct outreach efforts about the transition (Foster, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 10/11).