Press Releases

Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) hosted a roundtable at EvergreenHealth Monroe with Medicaid recipients, providers, and health systems to highlight the impact of the cuts Trump and Congressional Republicans are advancing to Apple Health, Washington state’s Medicaid Program.

Earlier this month, House and Senate Republicans advanced legislation that would cut hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid to pay for tax cuts for wealthy people and big corporations. This would amount to the largest cut in Medicaid’s history and leave states like Washington with the painful choice of cutting people from the program and reducing what services it covers. When Medicaid is cut, providers are forced to scale back services and health care costs rise for everyone.

1.8 million Washingtonians are enrolled in Apple Health. This includes children, pregnant women, parents, seniors, and people with disabilities. Approximately half of Apple Health’s budget comes from the federal government. The other half is provided by the state government.

“President Trump and Congressional Republicans promised to lower the cost of living for American families. Instead, they are trying to make the biggest cut to Medicaid in the program’s history so they can pay for tax breaks for the wealthy,” said DelBene. “Medicaid covers nearly 2 million Washington children, seniors, and others in our state. I hear from constituents daily who are worried about what these cuts would mean for them and their families. Cuts to Medicaid hurt everyone in our community because they force providers to scale back the services and health care costs go up for everyone. I will continue to stand up for Medicaid access and against these drastic cuts.”

“As a community-owned hospital, EvergreenHealth is an advocate for ensuring everyone has unhindered access to affordable care and services that they need close to home,” said EvergreenHealth CEO Ettore Palazzo, MD, FACP. “The proposed reductions could lead to significant coverage losses and financial strain on health care providers, potentially affecting millions of Americans, including more than one hundred thousand residents of King and Snohomish counties, who rely on Medicaid for essential health services.”

“Apple Health (Medicaid) provides access to health care and behavioral health services for nearly 2 million people in Washington state, including children, older adults, people with disabilities, and working families. When funding is at risk, it puts real pressure on the services for our state's most vulnerable residents,” said Dr. Charissa Fotinos, Medical Director, State Medicaid and Behavioral Health, Washington State Health Care Authority.

Organizations participating in the event and supporting Medicaid patients include EvergreenHealth, Compass Health, Sea Mar, SEIU 775, Full Life Care, and the Washington State Health Care Authority.

More information about Medicaid’s role in Washington and the impacts of Republicans’ cuts can be found here.