Congress is considering slashing funding for Medicaid by:

• Making deep cuts to benefits and shifting enormous costs to Washington State taxpayers by setting a per capita cap on federal Medicaid funding or, similarly, turning Medicaid into a block grant.

• Costing Washington taxpayers an additional $6 billion in 2025 alone by reducing or eliminating Medicaid expansion funds.

• Costing Washington taxpayers an additional $1.2 billion 2025 by cutting Medicaid matching rates.

It is estimated that 291,627 people in Congressman Newhouse’s District 4 depend on Apple Health and Medicaid. Many more Central Washingtonians — 37% — use Apple Health and Medicaid than average. 

More than half of Central Washington’s children depend on Apple Health and Medicaid:

• 62% of very young children (0-5 years old)

• 59% of school age children (6-18 years old)

An estimated 37,145 veterans live in Central Washington, and 16% of them (about 6,300) depend on Apple Health and Medicaid for health care or long-term care.

Medicaid provides supports and services for more than 61,000 Washingtonians with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

98.7% of our district is rural. According to a report to Congress, people who live in small towns and rural areas: 

• Are more likely to be uninsured than residents of urban areas.

• Rely on Medicaid for their health insurance at higher rates than those living in urban areas.

• Have less access to employer-sponsored health insurance.

Too many people in our district do not have any kind of health insurance — more than 13% of people under 65.

These cuts will exacerbate the health care and medical debt crisis that Central Washingtonians are already facing more than residents of urban and other areas.

Cuts to Apple Health and Medicaid could cut thousands of health care jobs in our region.

Health care and social assistance jobs employ more than 44,000 of Central Washingtonians in Congressional District 4.

Examples of Medicaid-related jobs in our Congressional District include:

• 10,660 jobs in diagnosing and treating practitioners and other technical occupations

• 5,798 jobs in health technologists and technicians

• 14,971 jobs in health care support occupations

• 6,167 jobs in personal care and service occupations

Source: US Census

Apple Health and Medicaid keeps Central Washingtonians working. Cutting Apple Health and Medicaid could result in: 

• Workforce Loss: Many Central Washington small businesses cannot afford to offer private insurance to their employees. Cuts to Apple Health and Medicaid could lead to workers leaving their jobs at small businesses due to health issues, to take care of uncovered family members, for jobs with private insurance, or to lower their incomes to qualify for Congress’s new lowered thresholds.

• State Tax Increases: To make up for the loss in Congressional funding for Apple Health and Medicaid, Washington State could be forced to increase property and sales taxes. These taxes will hit Central Washington’s low and middle income families the hardest because they already pay the highest percentage of their incomes in state taxes.

• Increase Medical Debt & Bankruptcy:  For people and families with limited assets, even a relatively small unexpected medical expense can be unaffordable. For people with significant medical needs, medical debt may build up over time. People living with cancer, for example, have higher levels of debt and bankruptcy than individuals who have never had cancer. Washingtonians already carry massive medical debt, with an average of $1,353 in medical debt in collections, and these cuts will make medical debt and bankruptcy even worse. 

Medicaid’s long-term care program currently helps about 12,300 low-income older adults and people with developmental disabilities in Congressman Newhouse’s District. 

Medicaid also helps people with developmental and intellectual disabilities throughout their lifetime, including:

• physical therapy for children and infants

• physical, mental, and behavioral health care

• job training and placement

• wheelchairs, medications, assistive devices

Medicaid’s long-term care can pay for older adults or people with developmental disabilities to: 

• use an adult day care facility.

• continue living at home with help from a caregiver.

• live in an adult family home (adult foster care).

• live at a nursing home or other assisted living facility.

• receive hospice care.

Washington State may recover this money from the older adult’s assets and estate, if any, once they pass away. 

Learn more about who is eligible for Medicaid long-term care.

In Washington State, Medicaid supported health insurance is called Apple Health. Apple Health improves health outcomes, prevents premature deaths, and reduces medical debt and the likelihood of catastrophic medical costs. 

Some 2 million Washingtonians depend on Apple Health for their health care. Services covered by Apple Health include:

• Appointments with a doctor or health care professional for necessary care

• Long-term care support and Medicare supplemental premiums

• Medical care in an emergency

• Maternity and newborn care

• Mental health services

• Treatment for chemical or alcohol dependence

• Pediatric services, including dental and vision care

• Limited dental and vision care for adults

• Prescription medications

• Laboratory services

• Hospitalization

• Transportation to and from medical appointments, when necessary

• An interpreter for your appointment, if you do not speak English (arranged through your provider)
  

Medicaid is funded by Congress and Washington State, which split it 50-50 for traditional Medicaid and split it 90-10 for expansion coverage.

An estimated 192,600 people under 65 in Congressman Newhouse’s District are covered by Medicaid-funded Apple Health for low cost or free health care coverage, including: 

• Individual adults ages 19 up to 65

• Parents/Caretakers of children under 18

• Pregnant women

• Children

• People who are aged, blind or disabled

• Children in foster care

The vast majority of adults who depend on Medicaid work. Those who do not have paying jobs are going to school, caring for family members, or are disabled or ill themselves.

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Chart Source

For able-bodied adults, Apple Health provides coverage for people 19 to 64 who are earning up to 138% of the federal poverty line. That works out to an annual income of $20,784 for one person and $43,056 for a family of four. 

Learn more about who is eligible for Apple Care health coverage.