Washington:

Coverage to All Children

Summary

Beginning in February 2009, Washington began enrolling children with family incomes up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) in its new Apple Health for Kids program.  The implementation of this expansion is only the most recent phase of a comprehensive effort to cover all children that began over 2 years ago when Governor Chris Gregoire signed legislation to provide health coverage to all children, regardless of immigration status, with family incomes up to 300% of the FPL. The expansion had originally been slated for a January 2009 implementation, but was put on hold due to budget pressures and the August 17th directive.

As a result of the new funds available through CHIP reauthorization along with the withdrawal of the August 17th directive, the state was able to move ahead on the planned expansion. Coverage was extended retroactively to families with income up to 300% of the FPL who applied since November 24, but were denied coverage due to the delayed expansion.

In addition to the expansion, the original legislation included directives for the state to simplify and streamline application and renewal processes and improve the quality of and access to care children receive through a medical home program in Medicaid and SCHIP. One of the biggest steps in this process was to repackage and relaunch Washington’s Medicaid and CHIP programs into a seamless new program called Apple Health for Kids, which began in Summer 2008. Advocates are now undertaking efforts to use the new tools available through CHIP reauthorization to strengthen and enhance the simplification and streamlining measures that were called for in the original bill signed in 2007.