Illegal immigrants gain access to Obamacare in Washington state

Washington will be the first state in the US to provide health insurance to illegal immigrants within its borders by using the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare.  

President Joe Biden's Department of the Treasury and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) approved the state's request via a State Innovation Waiver, which was requested by the state's Democratic-controlled government in May.



HHS and Treasury said in a joint statement, "Washington has requested a waiver in order to expand access to qualified health plans, stand-alone qualified dental plans, and a state affordability program to Washington residents regardless of immigration status."

"The waiver will help Washington work towards its goals of improving health equity and reducing racial disparities by expanding access to coverage for the uninsured population through the state Exchange, all the while not increasing costs for those currently enrolled," the statement added.

The ACA's regulations currently exclude illegals in the US from the program. 

However, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, "Section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) permits a state to apply for a State Innovation Waiver (also referred to as section 1332 waiver) to pursue innovative strategies for providing residents with access to high quality, affordable health insurance while retaining the basic protections of the ACA."

Additionally, the approved modification of Washington's ACA is contingent on the state accepting "specific terms and conditions," and will be valid from 2024 through 2028.

There is growing concern that with President Joe Biden’s border crisis allowing over 2 million illegals into the country in the last fiscal year, more services will incentivize illegal migrants to make the treacherous journey across the US southern border. The question then becomes where to shelter them as they are overloading border towns.

The Biden administration and Republican governors continue to mitigate the problem by flying or bussing illegal migrants all over the US.

Some have accused the Democrats in power in the state of prioritizing those from outside Washington and the US over residents.

As the homeless and drug crises continue to ravage Washington state, King County began buying up hotels for more than the properties were worth to shelter those living on the streets. The multi-million dollar purchases were completed without informing the local communities. Some of the properties were placed near schools.

However, the county announced last week that instead of using the hotels to mitigate the homeless crisis or provide drug treatment services as planned, the facilities were being used to house refugees, the majority of whom are from Afghanistan. The county could not confirm if the candidates were vetted before being offered housing.

According to a press release from the county, "In September 2021, King County made a commitment to support newly arriving Afghan refugees, including the use of a recently purchased Health Through Housing hotel in Federal Way as temporary housing and a $500,000 investment for language supports and community grants to aid in the resettlement process."

"Partnering with DSHS’ Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance, the IRC, and community partners, King County began accepting referrals and in October of last year, welcomed the first 130 refugees to arrive in Federal Way. In April, thanks to a partnership with the City of Redmond, the program moved operations to the Redmond Health Through Housing building and welcomed guests from May through December. The program is now set to close at the end of the month."

"Over the course of the last year, 791 people took part in the short-term program that offered temporary housing, support, and connection to the community."

Meanwhile, there are over 40,000 people on the streets of King County every night and the problem is increasing as more people come to the area because of the services provided.

Katie Rogers, Communications Director for the King County Department of Community and Human Services told The Post Millennial that 91 percent of the refugees are from Afghanistan and the remainder are from "Ethiopia, Syria, Congo, Jordan, Tanzania, and Rwanda."

When asked about vetting, Rogers said, "The building only accepted people who came through the federal resettlement program with the IRC," however the IRC did not return requests for comment. Many of the Afghans that were evacuated during President Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from the country were not vetted before being loaded on US military planes.