The Affordable Care Act is working for millions of people in Washington. Currently, 2,970,000 people on Washington –including 372,000 children – with pre-existing conditions no longer have to worry about being denied health coverage or charged higher premiums; and 1,620,000 people have already benefitted from receiving at least one preventive care service without cost.
Washington state is one of 26 states that chose to expand Medicaid coverage to all adults with incomes below 133% of the federal poverty line (around $32,000 for a family of four) and in return will receive 100 percent of federal funding to cover those costs for the first three years and no less than 90 percent federal support for those costs in the years following.
Medicaid expansion will increase the amount of federal funds that Washington State will receive. According to a new study by the Commonwealth Fund, Washington State will see $1.2 billion dollars in federal funds for Medicaid expansion in 2022 -almost double the amount of federal highway transportation funds – which will be approximately $871 million dollars.
In addition to the federal funds that will help our state economy, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, states are likely to see net savings from expanding Medicaid and offsetting the costs of uncompensated care.
The followings is a statement from Dwight Pelz, Chair of Washington State Democrats:
“The Affordable Care Act has already benefitted over 1.5 million people in Washington State who have received preventive care at no cost. Obamacare is working for Washingtonians, and Medicaid expansion will help our state economy. We applaud Gov. Inslee and legislators in our state for doing the right thing and helping 64,000 more people access health insurance through Medicaid expansion.
Republicans across the country keep showing that they’re more interested in their own political gain than in the well-being of the American people. By refusing to expand Medicaid and working tirelessly to repeal Obamacare, Republicans are trying to take away access to quality, affordable healthcare and the benefits that millions of Americans are already enjoying. It’s time for Republicans to put the American people first and leave politics aside, for human and financial reasons”
