Washington is looking to expand health and dental coverage to all residents, regardless of immigration status, according to The Seattle Times.
The state's insurance marketplace submitted a waiver application May 13 that would allow the state to bypass or change Affordable Care Act requirements, including the current ban on noncitizens purchasing health coverage on ACA marketplaces.
The waiver would use state-funded affordability programs that help lower premium costs and increase access to Cascade Care Savings, the state's new premium assistance program scheduled to open in the fall.
If approved, the waiver would expand benefits in 2024 to more than 105,000 people, or about 23 percent of the state's uninsured population.
The application went to HHS and the Treasury Department, which will consider whether or not coverage offered under the waiver is "comprehensive, affordable, results in coverage gains and doesn't increase the federal deficit," according to The Seattle Times.
The agencies have 45 days to review the application before holding a public comment period for one month. Then they have 180 days to respond to the request, though the state has asked for approval by this August.
"Since the introduction of the Affordable Care Act, we have been charting a course toward providing health insurance coverage for all Washingtonians," Gov. Jay Inslee said in a public statement. "This waiver comes at an important time in our healthcare journey, and its approval would strengthen our ability to provide equitable access for historically marginalized and uninsured populations."
The federal government has approved waivers from Oregon, Colorado, Alaska, Montana, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Maine, but none were related to immigration status.
In 2016, California attempted to expand health benefits to noncitizens but withdrew the application, fearing the Trump administration would use the information to deport residents, according to Kaiser Health News.