{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://delbene.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=4443", "DelBene, Patients, Providers Raise Alarm Over Looming Republican Medicaid Cuts, Work Requirements", "2026-08-17", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "House", "WA", "Suzan K. DelBene", "D000617", "delbene.house.gov", "delbene", "https://delbene.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "On Friday, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) joined patients and providers at the Together Center to discuss the impact of the Medicaid cuts in Republicans\u2019 Big Ugly Bill, many of which are set to take full effect early next year and will kick over 350,000 Washingtonians off their Apple Health coverage.\n\nThe Big Ugly Bill slashed over $1 trillion from Medicaid. Nearly 2 million Washingtonians are enrolled in Apple Health, including children, pregnant women, parents, seniors, and people with disabilities. The cuts include new work requirements, more frequent paperwork requirements for patients, and shifting more of the administrative costs onto states.\n\nThe new work requirements are set to take full effect in January 2027. Patients with serious medical conditions like cancer and HIV could be forced to work to retain their health insurance. Washingtonians who are too sick to fulfill the mandated work requirements and do not qualify for an extremely narrow exemption will lose their insurance. Without insurance, more people will be forced to rely on emergency rooms for uncompensated care, placing an increased burden on local hospitals and community health clinics.\n\n\u201cWashingtonians are bracing for the impact of Congressional Republicans\u2019 heartless cuts to Medicaid,\u201d said DelBene. \u201cTheir Big Ugly Bill forces people with serious medical conditions to choose between navigating complex red tape and working to avoid losing their insurance when they should be focusing on their care instead. Republicans slashed over a trillion dollars from our health care system to give tax breaks to their wealthy friends. Patients, providers, hospitals, and clinics in our community will be left paying the price.\u201d\n\n\u201cAcross Washington, the changes driven by H.R. 1, a bill passed by congressional Republicans and signed into law by President Donald Trump in 2025, will touch thousands of families, older adults, working people, and communities in every corner of the state. Beginning this fall and into 2027, many Washingtonians will see shifts in eligibility, new work requirements, and more frequent renewal timelines \u2014 changes that will affect the coverage they rely on for essential care,\u201d said Trinity Wilson, Health Care Authority Medicaid Director. \u201cWhat\u2019s most important for people to know right now is that support is available. We encourage everyone to keep their contact information up to date, review any notices they receive, and reach out to Apple Health or Washington Healthplanfinder if they have questions about their coverage options. While these federal changes present real challenges, Washington's commitment remains the same: to help Washingtonians stay informed, stay covered, and stay connected to the care they need.\u201d\n\nMore information about the Medicaid cuts can be found here.", 1, "2026-08-18T05:27:41Z", "2026-08-18T05:29:06Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://delbene.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=4443"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.5658951122313738, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}