SEATTLE. Starting this month, 11,000 refugees, asylum seekers and other lawfully present immigrants in Washington state lost their Medicaid coverage, including 4,000 people in King County alone, according to KUOW.
In January 2027, an additional 215,000 King County residents could see their Medicaid coverage affected by new work requirements and more frequent eligibility checks, changes stemming from cuts outlined in the Trump administration's HR1, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill.
King County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda told KUOW's Soundside that she considers HR1 and its Medicaid cuts a betrayal, saying the lawfully present immigrants losing coverage were people the country had welcomed with open arms and promised a safety net.
At a Sept. 17 King County Board of Health meeting, board members warned the fallout will extend beyond those losing coverage. Mosqueda said hospitals and clinics will be overwhelmed, driving up wait times for all patients, and Harborview Medical Center projects it will lose $120 million in enrollment-related losses in the first full year of HR1 alone, compounding its budget shortfall.
Mosqueda is calling on the council to offset the strain on the public health system by passing property taxes authorized by the state Legislature earlier this year, and she pointed to Los Angeles County, which recently raised its sales tax rate by a half-cent in the wake of the Medicaid cuts, as an example of how the county might act now.
She acknowledged that sales and property taxes are regressive and tend to hit lower-income residents hardest, arguably the same people already grappling with the loss of Medicaid coverage, but argued they are the council's only options, telling KUOW there is no cavalry coming from the state Legislature and the county must use the tools it has been given.
Earlier this week, the King County Council approved a 0.01% sales tax increase, adding a penny to every $100 retail purchase and bringing the sales tax to 10.56% starting Jan. 1, 2027. Councilmember Reagan Dunn called it a bit of a soupy slush fund, prompting Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat to question the council's plans for the revenue. The council has also faced oversight problems over how tax money has been used, including a Seattle Times investigation earlier this year that found the Best Starts for Kids program awash in improper payments and possible fraud.
Mosqueda said the most recent sales tax will support the county's efforts to create more housing support and shelter options for homeless children and families, with direct dollars going into specific beds in specific locations. She agreed that any waste of public dollars erodes public trust, but said this time is different.