Vice President JD Vance, center, speaks during a news conference accompanied by Kim Brandt, Chief Operating Officer for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, left, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Chairman Andrew Ferguson of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and Chris Klomp, nominee for Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services, in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, in Washington.
Alex Brandon / AP
On Thursday, Oct. 1, about 14,000 Washington state residents will no longer be eligible for Medicaid, or Apple Health.
That’s due to a federal law known as HR1 — or, sometimes, the Big Beautiful Bill.
They’re refugees, humanitarian asylees, survivors of human trafficking — most lawful immigrants who don’t have a green card.
Medicaid eligibility for lawfully present immigrants
Most lawfully present immigrants who don't have a green card are losing their eligibility for Medicaid starting Thursday, Oct. 1.
Eilis O'Neill / KUOW/KFF
Ryan Moran, director of the Washington State Health Care Authority, said the eligibility changes won’t just impact the individuals who are losing their health coverage.
“What happens when they no longer have coverage — when you have individuals who go to the emergency department as sort of their sole access point to health care?” he said. “We worry about the strain and stress on the hospital system.”
The bill also makes these immigrants ineligible to buy government-subsidized health plans for 2027, and full-price plans will likely be unaffordable for people who qualified for Medicaid, so the state expects most of them to become uninsured.
Eilís O’Neill is a reporter with KUOW. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.
