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