Democrats in Washington state rushed through the approval for a new $20 million program for healthcare for migrants, but a look at the program’s expenditures finds that the fund only covered 173 migrants instead of the initial 300 of 1,200 the program was eventually meant to help.
Democrats and their NGO migrant advocates pushed the healthcare bill to cover 1,200 noncitizen residents in the Evergreen State. And the Democrat-controlled legislature was quick to vote to fund the program.
But according to the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 775, which pushed hard to get the program approved, the money is only enough to cover 173 noncitizens, a fact that the union’s secretary-treasurer, Adam Glickman, called “disappointing and frustrating,” the Washington State Standard reported.
Lawmakers are now saying that to actually cover the entire 1,200 group of noncitizens, the program will have to be refunded to the tune of tens of millions more dollars.
The initial $20 million investment was meant to cover 300 noncitizens in the 2026-27 fiscal year. But the money quickly ran out before even reaching 200. To fund the entire initial 300 migrant target, at least $100 million or more will be required. And to fund the full 1,200 migrants it will cost $100 million every year, Democrat Rep. Nicole Macri said.
Washington Democrats launched the program due to the cuts in Medicaid instituted by the Trump administration, which ended coverage for noncitizens. State Democrats say that 14,000 noncitizens will be cut off from Medicaid by October.
The failure of the state program to fund healthcare for the migrants losing federal funding has sent activists back to the drawing board and is spurring them to push state Democrats for millions more in state tax dollars to fund medical care for migrants.
SEIU 775 leaders are ramping up the pressure on state Democrats to throw tens of millions more at the program, their excuse being that unionized home healthcare workers could lose jobs after federal funding is cut.
But union official Glickman thinks it may be an uphill battle thanks to wild budget overreach and deficits already plaguing the state. “Getting the entire thing seems pretty challenging, given this budget situation. We are pushing for them to do as much as they can,” he said.
Hellbound and Down 