Upwards of 16,000 immigrants on track to enroll in WA Medicaid expansion
April 26, 2024 Updated Fri., April 26, 2024 at 4:14 p.m.
By Grace Deng
Washington State Standard
Washington’s immigrant population is jumping at the chance to apply for health insurance as coverage expands for those without a federally-recognized immigration status.
That’s according to a new report from the Washington Health Benefit Exchange, which looks at the number of “uninsured and undocumented” people who have applied for insurance through the state’s Health Plan Finder website. The findings show that at least 16,000 people are on track to be covered by the state’s upcoming Medicaid expansion for immigrants.
Beginning Nov. 1, 2023, people without legal immigration status have been allowed to start shopping for private health and dental insurance under a federally approved waiver, which waived the federal definition of “lawfully present” under the Affordable Care Act.
The report found that, through Jan. 18, an estimated 24% of those uninsured and undocumented in Washington have applied for health coverage – about 24,000 applicants of the state’s approximately 100,000 total undocumented individuals.
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2024/apr/26/upwards-of-16000-immigrants-on-track-to-enroll-in-/
