Moment of Truth: 11,000 Lives on the Line Will Washington step up for immigrant health care?

On October 1, 11,000 immigrants in Washington will lose their Medicaid coverage.

Join the No Cuts to Healthcare Coalition, impacted community members, elected officials, and community leaders to show a united front on the first day the cuts take effect.

Wednesday, 11:00 AM - 12 PM         Zoom: https://seiu775-org.zoom.us/j/87349087966

SEATTLE — Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community leaders, health care providers and advocates will gather today, Thursday, October 1 at 10:30 a.m. at Hing Hay Park to demand immediate action as approximately 11,000 Washington immigrants and refugees lose Apple Health (Medicaid) coverage.

Federal changes taking effect October 1 eliminate Medicaid eligibility for many lawfully present immigrants, including some refugees and asylees.

While these cuts originate at the federal level, community leaders say Washington state, King County and the City of Seattle must do more to ensure affected residents do not lose access to essential health care.

Speakers will call on government leaders to identify who is losing coverage, provide emergency resources and a clear path to continued health care, expand multilingual enrollment and health care navigation, and support trusted community organizations serving immigrant and refugee communities.

Community leaders will also call for disaggregated AANHPI data to better understand which communities are being affected. Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities encompass dozens of distinct ethnicities, languages and immigration histories, yet are frequently grouped together in government data.

“We know 11,000 people are losing health coverage. We need to know who they are, which communities are being hit hardest, and what the government is going to do for the people being left behind.”

SPEAKERS

State Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos — 37th Legislative District

Kendee Yamaguchi— Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS)

La‘i King — Pacific Islander Health Board of Washington

Amy Leong — Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA)

Sili Savusa — Executive Director, Pacific Islander Community Association of Washington

Join Jennifer Obel, MD (prior freelance journalist for the Washington Post and Spokesperson for ASCO) and Mark Lopatin, MD, FACP, FACR, FCPP (retired rheumatologist, author of Rheum for Improvement) for a hands-on training for DFA advocates who want to learn how to use patient stories and personal experiences to create and pitch compelling op-eds and letters to the editor. All experience levels are welcome; you just need to come with an idea that you want to write about. Click here to Register!

As we look for ways to engage our communities in free and democratic elections, writing an LTE is a great way to share a message with a wider audience and counter misinformation. LTEs are short (150–250word limit), targeted messages that use our personal voices to draw attention to issues affecting our communities. Register at: Letter to the Editor Workshop - Faith Action Network

Golf FORE a Good Cause - Yakima

ealth Care For All WA - Dr. Clarence Spigner, UW Professor, Health Systems and Population Health will speak on the British National Health Service: Racial & Social Determinants of Health.. RSVP here to get Zoom info.

For information on the many labor-sponsored events across the state, go to the The Stand after September 1, the excellent on-line daily publication of the WA State Labor Council. If you don’t subscribe already, you can do so here!

This meeting features a roundtable discussion between Commissioners and representatives of our Coalition. Coalition partners can also sign up for public comment to press commissioners on universal primary care design and transitional single-payer implementation. Join online on Teams or in person at Health Care Authority, Cherry Street Plaza, Sue Crystal Center, Conference Rooms 106A and 106B, 626 8th Ave SE, Olympia. Visitor map with parking instructions. Want to offer public comment? See public comment process.

Yakima Indivisible’s Drink It In series, where you quench your thirst for knowledge and beer (cheers!), presents: Universal Healthcare, the solution we deserve for our ailing healthcare system

There is a lot of talk about universal healthcare, but do you understand what it is? Do you know how it works, why so many other countries have it and the US doesn’t, who pays for it, is it for everyone?

Get answers to those questions and more from Thomas Kennedy the Health Care is a Human Right – Washington Policy co-chair, and Whole Washington volunteer extraordinaire.

If you can’t make this event or just want more information, register for the Educational Symposium on Universal Healthcare sponsored by Yakima Valley Healthcare Defense Partnership, Monday, August 24, 2026, 5:30 to 8:00 at Heritage University.

Sign up here: https://wholewashington.org/event/pub-talk-with-whole-washington-and-yakima-indivisible/

How a state-based universal health plan not only lowers costs and improves outcomes, but ALSO builds bargaining power and puts people over profits

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https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89734916187